NOUVELLES GALERIES
BELFORT
Programme
Redevelopment of the “Les Nouvelles Galeries” Complex
Client
TANDEM
Area
12,800 m²
Cost
10 M€
Scope
Full Service
Schedule
Competition winner 2025 Sutdies in progress Delivery due 2029
Team
Client : TANDEM Project management assistance : ESSOR Architect : SUD architectes All-trades engineering consultant : Projex Structural engineer : Terrell Environmental consultancy : Diagobat Kitchen design : Groupe ES 3D visualization : IDlia
The renovation project for Les Nouvelles Galeries in Belfort is driven by a strong conviction: to unlock the latent potential of this iconic building and make it the driving force behind the commercial revitalization of the downtown area, particularly along the Faubourg de France. A descendant of the Bumsel department store from the 1920s, later expanded in 1969, the 12,000-square-meter building bears witness to local urban and commercial evolution.
The architectural approach focuses on restoring the site’s defining feature: the 1920 glass roof and its so-called Eiffel steel framework. This heritage, long obscured, once again becomes the spatial, visual, and symbolic heart of the project. Highlighted by new overhead lighting, it structures the layout of the retail floors and naturally guides foot traffic through a large central atrium and clearly defined vertical circulation routes.
Surrounding this heritage core, the program is enriched to meet contemporary needs: retail spaces on all levels, a leisure area on the 3rd floor, a panoramic restaurant and rooftop on the 4th. This functional mix creates a vibrant destination from morning to night, transcending a purely commercial focus.
The new façade on Faubourg de France reflects this rebirth through a three-part composition: a base of Vosges sandstone, a glass façade with “diamond”-shaped facets evoking modernity, and a contemporary attic signaling renewal. The design embraces the layering of eras to anchor the building in a continuity between memory, function, and the future.
