Since the departure of the military in 2005, the empty land around the Niel barracks was used for street art and skateboarding by locals. When plans for a big development project on the terrain became public, the local community provided resistance. ‘Evolution Group’, a holding with the mission to help innovative projects that respect the environment, was established by a local community member. The community negotiated with the local institutions to keep the original buildings intact and started a program to regenerate the area in order to create a local economy that is social, creative and green. Currently, Darwin covers an area of 22.000 m², incorporating among others a business incubator, co-working spaces, ecological stores and restaurants, a skate park, childcare facilities, an experimental secondary school, and space for events. Furthermore, the area acts as a living lab for new (urban) farming techniques like aquaponics and micro-gardens. The Darwin Ecosystem has become a thriving cultural centre in Bordeaux.
The Niel barracks and accompanying railyard were completed in 1877 as a new home for the 18th Squadron of the military train crews. The buildings are part of an area along the banks of the river Garonne that was used to cluster different military services, previously scattered across Bordeaux. The area has a turbulent history, having gone through 2 wars and a period of occupation. In 2005, the military activities in the area stopped and the site became abandoned. Quickly, it was found by local graffiti artists and skaters, who together with the local community and the Evolution group, fought for the creation of the ‘Darwin Ecosystem’ in this location. [1;3]
Darwin aims to regenerate an abandoned urban space while promoting a social, green and creative economy. It is a place where new models are explored to reconcile economy and ecology, based on cooperative and sharing principles. The initiative focused on the preservation and renovation of the original buildings while providing workspace for over 100 enterprises and (social and cultural) associations, as well as co-working facilities. There is space for new local and green businesses (such as a restaurant, a café, organic shops), and leisure, such as a skate park, a garden, events space, etc. Street art, in the form of graffiti and murals, creates a unique atmosphere around the terrain.
The ecological transition is an important theme in the redevelopment of the area, both in the renovation of buildings and in the wider activities developed. The area has for example become a living lab for new (urban) farming techniques like aquaponics and micro-gardening. Each of the organisations on the terrain also contributes to the Darwin Foundation. Through this foundation, awareness is raised about the ecological transition, experimental projects are supported, and initiatives to empower citizens are funded. This creates a local ecosystem focused on development that is both innovative and socially, environmentally and economically sustainable. [1;2]
In 2006, the founder of Darwin, Philippe Barre, created the Evolution Group, a simplified joint-stock company that specialises in investment funds and similar financial entities. The Evolution Group aims to provide financial support to innovative and environmentally sustainable projects. The Evolution Group mobilized the local community around the Niel Barracks and represented them in negotiations with the local authorities. In 2009, the Evolution Group bought part of the site.
The Evolution Group manages Darwin alongside Darwin’Co, an association set up in 2013 that assembles all of Darwin’s resident enterprises. The area is managed through different commissions and a management board that is renewed every year (through Darwin’Co), in cooperation with the board of directors of Evolution Group. Businesses and organisations rent the space from Evolution Group through a ‘Green Lease’. This is a legal provision that explicitly makes the environmental and energy performance of a building, and ways to improve on this, subject of the contract between owner and tenant. There is a specialised ‘Darwin Green Team’ which organises the objectives and actions relating to the environmental and sustainable operations of the buildings and coordinates this between the various stakeholders of the site. [3]
Evolution Group bought around one hectare of the site from the local authority for €1.300.000. The total initial investment to buy and repurpose the area combines to around €14.000.000. A feasibility study was conducted with €160.000 of European subsidies from the ERDF fund. The rest of the investment is brought together through a combination of equity and loans (by SAS Darwin-bastide, a simplified joint-stock company managed by Evolution Group and the investment fund Archipel), and regional subsidies. Overall, about 90% of the investment comes from private sources, 6% through subsidies and the remaining 4% through others crowdfunding. [1;4]
Income is created through the rents paid by resident companies. This income allows for further renovations and the development of new structures and activities on the site. In 2011, Evolution Group has created an endowment fund, a private non-profit entity called the Darwin Foundation, to which all businesses in the area contribute. This foundation raises awareness about the ecological transition, supports experimental projects, and funds initiatives to empower citizens. [3] Next to that, a business incubator is being built in Bordeaux, which Darwin aims to sell once completed, thus generating additional income for the initiative. [4]
SERVICE FACILITATEUR QUARTIERS DURABLES & Ecosystème Darwin (2019, October), Fiche de Projet des Quartiers Durables: L’éco-système Darwin, Bordeaux, France. Bruxelles Environnement – division Qualité de l’environnement, Économie circulaire et Ville durable – département accompagnements ville durable, available on besustainable.brussels/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/20191001_fiches-de-projet-DARWIN_FR.pdf, accessed on 18/11/21
Darwin-écosystem, organisational website, darwin.camp, accessed on 18/11/21
PUCA & CETE Sud-Ouest – CETE Est L’urbanisme de projet en chantier: le projet DARWIN, available on www.urbanisme-puca.gouv.fr/IMG/pdf/monographie-darwin-projets-negocies.pdf, accessed on 19/11/21
Urbanisme de projet en chantier (2011-2014), le projet DARWIN, available at www.urbanisme-puca.gouv.fr/urbanisme-de-projet-en-chantier-2011-2014-a261.html, accessed on 14/12/2021