Buildings that do not leave Rennes indifferent -
20 Minutes
In the landscape, we only see these buildings.
Massive, too high, not harmonious, failure, etc.
are the adjectives that come back to evoke these constructions which in the end have become emblems of our cities.
The Eiffel Tower is one of the most obvious examples.
In the Archimoche? Series,
20 Minutes
focuses on buildings which do not leave you indifferent, which are out of tune or even that some qualify as "ugly".
In Rennes, the 3 Soleils shopping center displays a curious paradox.
Very well located, it feels like abandoned and suffers from the weight of years.
A renovation project has been mentioned for years but is slow to come to fruition.
"The 3 Suns have fallen asleep," said the director of the syndic.
“I used to come here when I was a teenager.
I have the impression that it has not changed since ».
From the top of her 45 years, Maëlle summed up everything about the 3 Suns situation.
Inaugurated in 1979, the shopping center which also houses offices has suffered from the weight of the years.
Located in the city center of Rennes, it seems crushed between the Esplanade de Gaulle and the Colombier slab and its delightful brown glass facade does everything but honor it.
The shabby facade of the 3 Soleils shopping center in Rennes suffers from the weight of years.
- C. Allain / 20 Minutes
During a small consultation organized by
20 Minutes
on Twitter, the building was by far designated as "the ugliest" in the Breton capital, far ahead of the judicial city and the Social Security tower.
“It's old-fashioned.
I never dare to go there, ”slips a regular in the neighborhood.
“There is no light, it's cold.
I don't know how to put it, but there is something weird here, ”slips a customer from the Carrefour shopping center located in the basement.
"A beautiful sleeping tool, which should be awakened"
However, the building enjoys a unique advantage in Rennes.
Since 2009, it has been directly linked to the Charles-de-Gaulle metro station.
Alma or Grand Quartier centers would dream of it… “It's a great tool, but it has fallen asleep.
It should be woken up ”, estimates Valérie Chifflet.
The director of the property manager Terranae, which brings together the 55 owners of the building, assures us that “a major interior and exterior renovation project is under study” but that it has not yet been presented to the general assembly.
"The union council is the driving force and wants to get things done", assures the director.
Find our Archimoche series?
Among the owners, some historic traders rub shoulders with large fortunes such as the Giboire group or the boss of most of Rennes' McDonald's Mario Piromalli.
And this is one of the problems of the 3 Suns in moving forward.
“We are the last to be informed of what is going to happen.
We have the impression that we decide without us ”, regrets Lionel, owner of Havane Café, installed there for thirty-two years.
We are preparing a little topic on the ugly buildings of our beautiful town of #Rennes.
Because yes, there is.
But for you, which one is the ugliest?
It's up to you to vote!
Do not hesitate to add your suggestions in comments # Vote2020 @ 20Minutes
- 20 Minutes Rennes (@ 20minutesrennes) November 12, 2020
Her friend Véro has been running the small Imagine haberdashery store for thirty years.
“I'm not complaining because I work well, but we can see that there are fewer and fewer people.
It was Colombia's openness that got us into it.
I have the impression that we are abandoned ”, estimates the shopkeeper, who spent three decades in its 40m².
“It will move, I'm sure.
Did you see where we are placed?
".
Sharper, other traders accuse "the big guys" of letting the shopping center die slowly in order to buy it back better.
According to the property manager Terranae, the renovation project would be well on track.
But for when?
Impossible to say.
“I've been hearing that for twenty years,” says Véronique.
The back of the 3 Soleils shopping center in Rennes is used for deliveries.
- C. Allain / 20 Minutes
Traffic on the Colombier slab
In addition to having multiple owners, the 3 Soleils center suffers from the not always healthy frequentation of the Colombier slab, where trafficking of all kinds seems to be successful.
A major renovation project is well in the works, but it takes time, a lot of time.
“It's a real urban issue and we have made this Colombia 2 project one of our priorities for this mandate.
We would like to link the two metro stations [De Gaulle and the future Colombier station] by a shopping street accessible from rue d'Isly.
But it's a very complex project, ”explains Marc Hervé, urban planning assistant.
It was his father Edmond Hervé, then a young mayor of Rennes, who inaugurated the 3 Suns after the demolition of a military barracks.
“There is potential to be exploited.
But we are waiting for each of the owners to do what is necessary to requalify their buildings, including the 3 Suns, ”continues the elected Socialist.
From Cinéville to the Mercure hotel, it is an ensemble that will have to be upgraded.
The 3 Suns intend to be there to start shining again.
Reindeer
Coronavirus in Rennes: Christmas markets and funfair canceled
Reindeer
Rennes: Adored or hated, the Colombier district remains the emblem of a disappeared town planning
Building
Architect
Trade
20 minutes video
Reindeer
Architecture
Town planning
Society