UK architect Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners (RSHP) has been chosen to lead a redesign of the Montparnasse district of Paris, presently dominated by brutalist slabs and the automobile.
The aim is to turn the 9ha district into a coherent urban space by means of pedestrianisation, new wooden buildings, the addition of 10,000 sq m of parkland and the planting of 2,000 trees to create an "urban forest".
The plan was developed in partnership with Lina Ghotmeh Architecture, urban planner A Fabrique de la Ville and landscape architect Michel Desvigne.
It manages to combine minimal demolition, a respect for Paris’ height limits and the addition of about 20,000 sq m of residential and commercial units, which will be used to finance the work, which is expected to come to about €800m.
Jean-Louis Missika , deputy mayor of Paris in charge of urban planning, unveiled the winning plan yesterday (11 July). He said: "We chose this project unanimously because it presented the most ecological urban form, with a reuse of the existing structures of the shopping centre, the planting of an urban forest and a large clear public space from the rue de Rennes to the train station."
Missika also announced that the €300m remodelling of the Montparnasse tower by Nouvelle AOM should receive official approval in the near future for delivery at the end of 2023 (see Further reading).
The scheme will be developed by the City of Paris and Real Estate Tower Maine-Montparnasse. In September they will start consultations with stakeholders to decide the details of the plan.
Image: RSHP’s rendering of the scheme
Further reading
