Located by the Garonne River as it flows through the city of Bordeaux, the new center for contemporary art MÉCA, which stands for Maison de l’Économie Créative et de la Culture en Aquitaine, unites in one single venue of more than 12,000 square meters three regional cultural institutions devoted to the visual arts (FRAC), the performing arts (OARA), and literature and cinema (ECLA).

The project is conceived as a loop, in which the three programs are grouped linearly around an open public space that offers itself to the city. This urban space is understood as a natural extension of everyday life along Quai de Paludate street and the new waterfront. Through ramps and stairs the promenade around the Garonne rivershore rises towards the rectangular central void of the MÉCA, which becomes a frame for the artwork and transforms itself on special occasions into a stage for concerts and events or into a screening space. As much the building as the seafront promenade are clad in limestone, which constitutes the majority of the architecture in Bordeaux. Choosing this material emphasizes the building’s image as an object, as a sculpted volume in a stone block.