Villeurbanne, May 2, 2026 – A groundbreaking architectural and economic project, Fabula Fabrika, is set to transform the urban landscape of Villeurbanne, a suburb of Lyon. This innovative multi-storey industrial building aims to redefine the place of craftsmanship and small-scale industry within the city by stacking workshops vertically, directly addressing the critical challenge of land scarcity in urban areas.
A Pioneering Vertical Industrial Hub
The Fabula Fabrika project marks the first activity hotel of its kind to be constructed in multiple storeys in the Lyon metropolitan area. Located along the former Ligne de l’Est, now home to the T3 tram line and Rhonexpress, the building is designed to be a hub for production, complemented by 4,000 square meters of office space. This hybrid structure, initially conceived in 2019 by FACE A Architecture under the name ‘Workshop’, has been renamed Fabula Fabrika and is situated in a historically industrial district.
Xavier Porte, the architect from Face A, elaborated on the building’s innovative design: “These multi-storey buildings have been designed with four high-capacity freight elevators. We have loading docks on the ground floor, which are connected to these four freight elevators, allowing us to supply the upper floors. The building has been designed to be as flexible as possible, to accommodate craftsmanship and slightly larger businesses than traditional artisan workshops, but certainly not heavy industry.”
Addressing Land Scarcity and Promoting Local Employment
Frédéric Thénot, General Director of SVU (Société Villeurbannaise d’Urbanisme), the real estate operator behind this project, highlighted the strategic importance of Fabula Fabrika. “In Gratte-Ciel, we have been superimposing housing and commerce for over 100 years. Today, our objective here is to do the same with economic activities. We previously had 4,000 square meters of activity premises here. Today we have 14,000. We are much more efficient in terms of space and land consumption. Today, a part of productive activity can thrive in the city. This allows people to work close to where they live, consume, or where their children learn.”
This approach not only optimizes land use but also fosters local employment, enabling residents to work closer to home and reducing commuting times.
Key Tenants and Their Vision
Already, 50% of the spaces in Fabula Fabrika have been commercialized, with three key tenants confirmed:
- Atelier Emmaüs: This social integration enterprise will occupy 1,500 square meters on the first floor for its carpentry workshop. Guillaume Poignon, director of Atelier Emmaüs, expressed his enthusiasm: “The phase we are starting with this Fabula Fabrika project is an arrival in a permanent, magnificent workshop, reflecting what we want for the people we welcome. Comfortable. It demonstrates a commitment to reuse, the circular economy, and integration. It’s a phase of maturity for our very young structure, which is 10 years old. And it will finally be able to truly experience ideal working conditions for artisans, not just flirt with them. The first floor will especially bring us light. We have three faces of natural light with many windows, many openings. A multi-storey ecosystem that will be very beneficial to us.”
- Rutile: This electric bicycle reconditioning company will establish its permanent operations across 3,000 square meters on the ground and first floors. Adrien Goxe, one of Rutile’s directors, explained the benefits: “It was very complicated to combine storage, reconditioning, office space, and also the showroom. We have a building, ‘La Folie’, in which we will have all our offices connected directly with the ground floor and the first floor. On the ground floor, we will have the bulk of our storage, and at the entrance of the building here, we will find our showroom.” Rutile is currently in temporary premises at Grand Plateau à la Soie, which will conclude at the end of 2027.
- Regus (IWG Group): A specialist in private offices and co-working spaces, Regus will occupy 1,450 square meters on the third floor, offering offices, co-working facilities, and meeting rooms. Benjamin Oderut noted: “We are specialists in private offices. Having a proximity solution with an activity solution is clearly an undeniable advantage for us, it allows the same company to have activity premises and offices and meeting rooms and associated services within the same building.”
Future Prospects and Project Timeline
Fabula Fabrika is the first operation for Totem SVU, Villeurbanne’s economic development land company. Another program, also managed by Totem SVU, is expected to emerge in the coming years in Croix-Luizet, following the same model.
The delivery of Fabula Fabrika is scheduled for early 2028, promising a significant boost to local economic activity and a new paradigm for urban industrial development.
Source: https://www.lyondemain.fr/fabula-fabrika-batiment-activites-etages/
