La Vieille Cure

To the east of Bordeaux, on the right bank of the Garonne, Cenon stretches on both sides of a landscaped hillside. A profound change has been initiated at the local and metropolitan levels. It is in this context that the former distillery of the Vieille Cure is writing a new page in its history with the “Food Factory” project.

The plot consists of several buildings. As an emblematic building of the economic history of the right bank, it has been the subject of heritage protection. Rising on three levels and a semi-buried basement, it was used to make liqueurs from the maceration of aromatic plants and the fruits of an adjoining orchard.
Aware of the sentimental value that the Vieille Cure plays in the collective memory, we are adapting the building to the challenges and uses of the 21st century without damaging its heritage image. On the contrary: in keeping with a logic of functional and historical continuity, we are committed to creating a site that is emblematic of the transformations taking place on the right bank, both in terms of economic activity and urban dynamics.

If the question of conflicts of use seemed a headache given the numerous programmatic entities, it is resolved by the fact that each function naturally finds its place in one or other of the buildings by organizing itself in an autonomous and/or complementary way according to needs.

All the buildings will be restored. The façades will be renovated in such a way as to reveal the constructive system. The ruin will be rebuilt, transformed into a greenhouse to accommodate a restaurant open to nature and the canopy. The interior volumes of the main building will keep their proportions. The decorative elements (staircases, wooden structures, glass roofing, stuccoes) will be restored identically and enhanced. These spaces will host activities dedicated to the public.

The Vieille Cure will be the subject of a complete program in which mixed use is at the heart of the preoccupations:

• A social and solidarity cannery, a restaurant, a cooking training center, etc.
• The relocation of the activities of Tauziet & Co.
• A polycultural space, an incubator
• Office and coworking spaces
• A store
• A reception and reception area for “cultural” audiences
• A concierge service
• A job corner for the restaurant business
• A convivial and festive space