Building techno-industrial campuses: the reconversion of the Fonderie in Mulhouse

Practical notebook no. 16: (Re)developing productive activities in metropolitan regions

Thierry Petit, November 2024

With the redevelopment of the former foundry of the Société alsacienne de constructions mécaniques (SACM), the contracting authority for the city of Mulhouse chose to restore a building that is emblematic of the local industrial heritage. The architects drew on the strength and inertia of the original structure to create a vast university complex, a research laboratory for teacher-researchers, the Mulhouse archives, the contemporary art centre and educational workshops. This is an exemplary project, which has preserved the industrial heritage by limiting the number of additions and allowing a fluid cohabitation between several entities that operate at different times.

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The Fonderie district in Mulhouse covers some twenty hectares close to the town’s historic centre and railway station. In the past, it was home to heavy industrial activities (foundry, locomotive factory from 1826, mechanical engineering, marine turbine factory), then became heavily deindustrialised, leading to the gradual abandonment and deterioration of the buildings (or their occupation by low added-value activities). As SACM’s activities declined, the City purchased the land from the company.

In 1997, the City acquired 11 hectares of land and 70,000 square metres of premises, transferring ownership to the Agglomération when it was created. In 2005, when Wärtsilä, a Finnish manufacturer of turbines for ships, left the site, Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Equipment Alsace bought the premises under a long-term lease in agreement with the City, which became the owner of the land, in order to preserve the site’s economic vocation. The new occupier has thus optimised its land holdings to free up space. The site was partly redeveloped by the City in 2007 when the Faculty of Economic, Social and Legal Sciences of the University of Haute-Alsace moved into an old hall, which was completely refurbished and became the Fonderie university campus.

However, there was no overall project capable of occupying all the available space, as the political will was to preserve its economic vocation. It wasn’t until 2013, with the emergence of a private project to create a digital village to serve industrial transformation, which met with strong political will, that a regional dynamic for industrial renewal was launched. The project, called KMØ, was supported by the Strasbourg Mulhouse metropolitan cluster, which entered it in the French Tech competition launched in 2015. Its accreditation paved the way for funding from the Region, the State and the European Union.

Other projects that had been shelved have resurfaced, such as the UIMM’s Maison de l’Industrie, a training centre for industrial professions, due to open in 2021, with a factory-school 4.0, and the project to relocate the Centre technique des industries mécaniques, which was cramped for space on the Mulhouse Technopole premises. Both have taken advantage of the presence of vast existing industrial buildings that they have renovated to suit their needs. Private projects are underway, with the installation of the engineering company Nodarius (350 employees) and that of an industrial design company, completing the ecosystem.

There is also a project to relocate the Technistub fablab, aimed at small and medium-sized businesses. The Fonderie thus forms an ecosystem where manufacturers, digital companies and digital training organisations (Epitech, École 42, la Ligne Numérique, Cnam, etc.) rub shoulders. The entire site is now occupied or is the subject of projects currently underway.

The renewal of this vast industrial area has accelerated the regeneration of the district, which is part of a wider project known as the New National Urban Renewal Programme (NPNRU), due to run until 2027. Ultimately, it will integrate various urban functions (housing, industrial and training sites), creating more than 1,000 jobs, including 150 new ones. The players Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération and the Mulhouse municipality (the originators of the industrial ecosystem project) own the land following its purchase. Private players: Mitsubishi Heavy Industry Equipment Alsace, which sold part of its land, KMØ, UIMM, etc. Cetim Grand Est, which initiated the Technocentre project.

The history of the site

Financing

To date, committed expenditure (80% of the programme) amounts to €131.1 million, including €6.3 million for the purchase of land. The public sector contribution represents 40% of expenditure (investment and operating), including €27 million from the Mulhouse Conurbation and City Council and €19.5 million from the Feder, PPA, Anru, FNADT, Fonds Friches, CPER, Region and Département.

Key success factors

A strong, ongoing political commitment, linked to a local private project. A site with strong potential, benefiting from its immediate proximity to the town and station. Strong financial involvement by the local authority in the renewal of the site (nearly €27m) and its land purchase (€6.30m). An original set-up enabling the building to be separated from the land, which is publicly owned. A desire to build on the existing heritage by preserving and restructuring the most emblematic buildings.

Sources

www.institutparisregion.fr/

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