Human Rights Plaza  --

The human rights plaza is on the north-eastern side of Clermont-Ferrand. This is a key space in terms of the Vergnes area renovation. The new plaza enhances the neighbourhood’s public spaces whilst incorporating Line 1 of the tramway with a station on the plaza near the Chateau des Vergnes, the creation of an East-West route linking the neighbouring areas, a new shopping centre and connections with the existing park to the South and the promenade to the North. The plaza is composed of two complementary spaces: one dominated by hardscape and the other by planting.  The hardscape area, is a space for those connecting between different methods of transport, market square, esplanade, shopping centre, and the planted space is a collecting point for the rainwater run-off, children’s play areas, spaces for leisure and meeting places, spaces that encourage the development of an ecosystem at the heart of the neighbourhood, a link between the Park and the Promenade. These two sides interact along an historical axis. The design of this project is also heavily based on the ecologically responsible management of rainwater run off with a harvesting system and the use of materials and layouts that favour filtration.