In a heterogenous area between the old town and 1970s development, between dense urban fabric and open spaces, sharing an entrance forecourt with an 11th century church, the Saint-Christophe-de-Tourcoing shopping centre boasts a form of urban “politeness” that seeks to respect the varied histories while affirming a contemporary presence.

Its curving facades were designed to absorb all possible modifications to a mixed-use and flexible programme (retail, cinemas, parking, multimodal station, housing …). The facetted panels enveloping it reflect a fragmented image of the immediate surroundings.

Designed as a pragmatic response to a changing commission and heterogenous surroundings, the project also seeks to evoke the industrial history of the area and the world of textiles. If the facades are curved, it is to sew back up, hem, edge or fray the existing fabric. If they are dressed in some 5.000 glass slats, it is also in reference to weaving and drapery. It is a multi-facetted glazed sail that they unfurl. And which, transparent or opaque, reflective or colourful, smooth or folded, presents a suggestive cliché of a forgotten world.