The creation of the Olympic and Paralympic Village is an opportunity to develop an exemplary new metropolitan district for Northern Paris.
In addition to the legacy that these major urban transformations will leave behind, they should also reassert the value of neighborhoods whose image has often been tarnished.
2024 is therefore a rendezvous with Parisians and athletes from all over the world to reveal the exemplary qualities of a rich and dynamic living space along the Seine landscape.
Les Quinconces is one of the ships facing the Seine. They run alongside the Mail Finot, the structuring axis of the Pleyel-Berges de Seine sector, as well as the Rue des Quinconces, thus reinforcing the system of linear connections leading to the river. In this respect, consideration of the positioning and programming of the base, a unifying and enduring element throughout the district, is key to activating the site. It must enable the implementation of a singular project that addresses the ultra-proximity for local residents and completes the metropolitan map by also becoming an attractive destination for those who live further. What kind of urban, cultural or consumer practices can be found here and not elsewhere?
In the image of the ship buildings that are a founding element of the district’s Guide Plan, the landscaping project develops the idea of a piece of real forest transported on the Seine and docked on the site. The result is a fully-fledged ecosystem, with functional and coherent associations of flora and fauna.
The multi-story forest experiment begins in the heart of the forest. Due to the narrowness of the garden and in order to bring as much light as possible to the ground, the forest is made up of species with elongated silhouettes and light foliage. A walkway that winds through the entire garden and ends on a terrace overlooking the Seine is accessible from the building lobbies via paths linked to a main path. This stroll through the heart of the forest has been laid out so that all residents can take a stroll or relax in the shade of the trees, sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the city.
The village is made up of different architectural elements, each with its own distinctive character, yet all forming part of a whole. The volumes on Rue des Quinconces rise skyward from their plinths, while the lower volumes form the urban facade of Mail Finot. The whole constitutes a unitary urban form that had to be brought to life without giving the idea of a big operation, finding the right balance between coherence and diversity.
