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Saint-Pierre (Réunion Island), France 

Architects: hub architectes Thomas Dantec + Raphaël Masson
Client: SCCV Casabona
Photographer: Schnepp Renou

Epicenter: At a crossroads between roads forming a ring around the island of Réunion and going across it, the Casabona neighborhood is currently under development. At the gateway to the town of Saint-Pierre, the planned construction of a shopping and service-sector complex is an opportunistic co-production aiming to form a new epicenter of business activity for the south of the Island. More than a shopping center and more than a service-sector center, the project plays the dual role of both being.

Continuum: Lined up along a large gallery overlooking a garden, nestled within a covered passageway over two levels or joined around a very dense, small square, the shopping areas will form spaces with comfortable and varied ambiances. These three shapes are archetypal of shopping centers and will together establish a public continuum extending the town-side environment while opening it up to the faraway surroundings of nature.

Density: The high density of the development within a confined plot close to the town center requires a specific, innovative kind of organization. Making the most of the plot’s steep slope, the car park with more than 500 parking spaces, mostly well-ventilated, is housed underneath the main building. This is a far cry from the ‘no car, no business’ approach where the car park asserts its visual dominance.