Substation in Villeurbanne

  • Exterior view of the Cusset source substation in Villeurbanne, a long rammed-earth and exposed-concrete volume with metal doors and vents in a foggy industrial site.
  • Rammed earth and exposed concrete façade of the Cusset source substation in Villeurbanne, with repetitive bays facing an industrial landscape and pylon.
  • Triple-height concrete circulation corridor in the Cusset substation, Villeurbanne, with metal balustrade, technical doors and high clerestory openings.
  • Concrete circulation corridor in the Cusset substation, Villeurbanne, with circular roof openings, galvanized railings, technical doors and stair to daylight.
  • Detail of Cusset substation in Villeurbanne, showing rammed earth wall, exposed concrete frame and galvanized steel service door on the ground floor.
  • Triple-height concrete circulation space in Cusset source substation, Villeurbanne, with curved balcony, metal grating floor and industrial lighting.
  • Evening view of the Cusset substation in Villeurbanne, showing rammed earth façades, metal doors and adjacent high-voltage structures in an industrial setting.
  • Historic postcard of the Cusset hydroelectric plant in Villeurbanne, a long neoclassical industrial building on arcades aligned along the Rhône river.
    Historic postcard view of the Jonage hydroelectric plant near Villeurbanne, with a steel truss bridge in the foreground spanning the river.

    An industrial monument. The most powerful hydroelectric power station in the world when it was delivered in 1899.

  • Black-and-white view of Cusset substation in Villeurbanne, showing concrete riverfront hall and elevated galvanized steel walkway under a heavy sky.
    Tectoniques
    Steel truss footbridge at Cusset substation in Villeurbanne, with galvanized deck and mesh guardrails framing the industrial hydroelectric context.
    Tectoniques
    Steel walkway framing the Cusset substation in Villeurbanne, overlooking the hydroelectric channel and historic industrial façades along the river.
    Tectoniques

    The footbridge leading to the hydroelectric dam’s viewpoint, sketched by Tectoniques. A beam to cross, protect, project.

  • Long concrete service corridor in the Cusset source substation, Villeurbanne, with raw walls, linear ceiling joints and daylight drawing perspective to the end.
    Renaud Araud
    Raw concrete interior of the Cusset substation in Villeurbanne, framing views of the industrial electrical landscape through large rectilinear openings.
    Renaud Araud
  • Construction of the Cusset substation in Villeurbanne, with worker compacting rammed earth wall beside exposed concrete and steel structure, cranes in background.
    Renaud Araud
    Construction view of Cusset source substation in Villeurbanne, showing exposed concrete frame, rammed earth wall and metal louvres under power lines.
    Renaud Araud
    Construction view of Cusset substation in Villeurbanne, showing exposed concrete volume with metal louvres beside a rammed earth wall on a rough site.
    Renaud Araud
  • Process drawing of the Cusset source substation in Villeurbanne, showing longitudinal cable routes, technical bays and circulation zones in plan.
    Tectoniques Ingénieurs
    Construction site of the Cusset source substation in Villeurbanne, showing a rectilinear concrete and brick volume rising above deep excavation works.
    Tectoniques

    The building is an iceberg. Hundreds of cables run back and forth from the basement, which is riddled with tunnels. Their paths and radii of curvature dictate the geometry of the rooms.

Project description

The Cusset source substation, an essential facility for supplying electricity to the north-eastern area of Lyon, is located in an industrial landscape whose quality lies in the strict expression of technical requirements. Echoing the neighbouring hydroelectric power plant, the building adopts an unexpected monumentality for a programme dedicated to power distribution. Exposed concrete, rammed earth and galvanised steel form a contextual palette. A triple-height circulation space structures movements and brings natural light down to the basement.

Project details

  • Address
    82 rue de Pierrefrite, Villeurbanne, Rhône
  • Dates
    2016-2019
  • Programme
    8 medium-voltage switchgear bays, technical rooms, changing rooms, galleries
  • Surface area
    1,275 m2
  • Budget
    3.2 M€
  • Notable details
    Rammed earth, assisted natural ventilation, reversible geothermal heat pump
  • Selected media
    Archiscopie nº21 – hiver 2020, Le Moniteur – 2020, d’a nº285 – novembre 2020 

Credits

  • Client
    Enedis
  • Project management
    Tectoniques (architect, lead), Tectoniques Ingénieurs (cost consultant, MEP engineering, concrete structure), Milieu Studio (sustainability consultant), CraTerre (earth construction), BeTerre (earth construction)
  • Photography
    Renaud Araud

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