Michelin Innovation Park – Cataroux : “Le Quartier des Pistes” revealed

An innovative project open to the Clermont-Ferrand metropolitan area.

• The future Quartier des Pistes, fourth cornerstone of the Michelin Innovation Park – Cataroux: a dynamic new space open to the city and its residents.

• Michelin Innovation Park – Cataroux: a unique €300 million public-private partnership creating 1,000 jobs.

• Michelin Innovation Park: from local ambition to global vision.

Anyone entering the Clermont-Ferrand metropolitan area will immediately notice the monumental former Michelin test tracks, a striking 400-meter-long structure of steel and concrete culminating at 30 meters high.

Built more than a century ago, these tracks were at the heart of Michelin’s innovation for decades until their closure in 2000, when the nearby Research and Development Center took over their mission. Today, this historic site is preparing for a new chapter. Le Quartier des Pistes is set to become an emblematic, vibrant new district: a space for creativity, leisure, collaboration, and community engagement.

The future Quartier des Pistes, fourth cornerstone of the Michelin Innovation Park - Cataroux: a dynamic new space open to the city and its residents.

In 2021, Michelin announced its plan to transform the unused hectares of its historic Cataroux site into a hub dedicated to innovation. That ambition is now fully taking shape with the announcement of Le Quartier des Pistes, set to open in 2029 as the fourth cornerstone of the Michelin Innovation Park - Cataroux, focusing on social innovation.

For over a century, millions of people have passed by this remarkable site, one so distinctive it has become iconic. With Cataroux - a place both familiar and somewhat secret -, we’re now creating an open space for the city: a source of jobs and new experiences. in cooperation with our public and private partners, we are building a new district dedicated to innovation, education, recreation, and quality of life. Michelin Innovation Park - Cataroux is undeniably an asset for the attractiveness and resilience of our area.

Patrice Kefalas

Director of Michelin Innovation Park - Cataroux

Designed as a living ecosystem, Le Quartier des Pistes represents a al 30 million investment and will be organized around three main areas:

• A 3.5-hectare green space with the plantation of more than 300 trees and the creation of an urban farm dedicated to promoting biodiversity. Le Quartier des Pistes will provide a natural cooling zone for the city with localized temperature drops ofup to 5°C.

• Les Pistes à Ciel Ouvert: 2.5 hectares restored, protected, and redesigned to become a strong symbol of identity and a place for unique experiences.

• An activity hub spanning 4 hectares - an innovative, welcoming space focused on tourism, culture, and social connection - will include:

  1. La Cité du Mouvement: a center dedicated to health and well-being,

  2. La Halle F4: a lively, multi-purpose community space,

  3. Very Food Trip : a unique dining concept inspired by world cuisines and travel,

  4. L’Aventure Michelin : a renewed showcase for Michelin’s exceptional heritage, offering a completely renewed visitor experience,

  5. 026: a modular performance hall and event venue,

  6. La Cité Verte et la Légumerie d’Auvergne: an urban organic farm, shared garden, and workshop for processing locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Each activity within Le Quartier des Pistes will stand out for its creativity, inviting both residents and visitors to discover engaging new experiences that respond to the needs of the city and the challenges of our time.

Le Quartier des Pistes was born from the desire to transform a place of production into a place of life. Where industry once shaped materials, we now seek to forge human connections. The transformation of the Pistes building is symbolic of that vision: an open space where the sites architectural heritage forms a foundation for innovation, culture, and movement.

Stefano Favretto

Chief Architect and Urban Planner of the project

Michelin Innovation Park - Cataroux: a unique €300 million public-private partnership

By 2029, Le Quartier des Pistes will be a new asset for the area’s vitality and influence. It will complement the three other pillars of the Michelin Innovation Park - Cataroux, already in operation:

• The first hub is devoted to skills. Dedicated to educational and collaborative innovation, this hub brings together two complementary training centers preparing for the jobs of the future:

  1. Hall 32, focused on industrial careers,

  2. La Manufacture Des Talents Michelin, dedicated to lifelong learning.

Today, the establishment’s training programs are also open to regional businesses, including startups within the Park, offering over 25,000 training opportunities.

• The second hub is committed to sustainable innovation, the development of bio-based and recycled materials, and the creation of industrial channels accelerating the transition toward a circular economy. Known as Le Centre des Matériaux Durables, it spans 20,000 m2 of industrial space. The zone is already home to six companies, with some twenty expected by 2030.

• The third pole is focused on collaborative innovation, offering shared workspaces.

Le Pôle d’lnnovation durable (PIC) will offer more than 2,400 workstations and is set to open in early 2026.

Bringing together over 50 partners, the Michelin Innovation Park - Cataroux embodies large-scale collaboration between public and private stakeholders to deliver innovative, responsible solutions to today’s global challenges.

This new chapter is a collective undertaking. By 2030, the Park is expected to create around 1,000 new jobs.

Michelin Innovation Park: from local ambition to global vision

The momentum of this innovative model will drive economic, social, and tourism renewal, actively contributing to the area’s growth and visibility.

More than 400,000 visitors are expected each year to Le Quartier des Pistes alone, making it one of France’s leading tourist destinations with a unique blend of leisure and service offerings built around a one-of-a-kind industrial heritage.

Along with Le Centre des Matériaux Durables, La Manufacture des Talents, Hall 32, and Le Pôle d’lnnovation durable (PIC), the park will attract new talent to foster innovation and development in France’s second-largest economic region.

Michelin has chosen to lend its globally recognized name to this groundbreaking initiative, designed as a catalyst for sustainable innovation. Michelin Innovation Park - Cataroux is laying the foundation for an exportable model that may be adapted to other regions around the world.

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