Paris Vous Aime Magazine - n° 1

Les Grands Voisins, dans le 14 e à Paris, un ancien hôpital devenu laboratoire éphémère des espaces partagés. Les Grands Voisins, in the 14th arrondissement, is a former hospital transformed into a pop-up laboratory for new shared spaces.

and creating new relationships between individuals”, explains Nicolas Détrie, founder of Yes We Camp. This is one of the cornerstones of Grands Voisins, a project emblematic of the many temporary occupations that are developing in a changing capital.

New life

Dilapidated buildings, abandoned public structures, factories shuttered after their company moved out- side of the city... Economic and social realities have left countless vacant spaces in search of a new lease on life.

“Transforming these places is a way to meet the demand for col- lective spaces, of ces, and hou- sing. Since urban areas can no longer take up agricultural land, the city must expand from wit- hin”, emphasises Daniel Béhar, a professor at the Paris School of Urbanism (EUP) and chair of

“We must build the city within the city”

the Developing Greater Paris project. The transforma- tion of an 1888 post of ce on the Rue du Louvre in the heart of the capital illustrates thispoint. From the street, passersby who notice the framework of the future glass roof can only imagine the 360° views it will offer upon its completion in late 2020. A hotel with a brasserie and a spacious terrace will welcome visitors on the top oor. An open courtyard will replace a parking lot for delivery trucks along with a new post of ce, boutiques, a nursery, a police station, and housing on the upper oors. “Our objective was to transform this industrial block into an urban block, in tandem with other major renovation projects in the neighbourhood around the new Forum des Halles and the former Bourse du Com- merce, now in redevelopment as the Pinault Collection exhibit space”, emphasises Nicolas Fournel, Director of the Poste du Louvre project. “The decision to rehabilitate Industrial-era buildings owes nothing to chance. They offer great exibility in their layout and in their potential because there are no walls”, emphasises Anne Durand, an architect and urban planner. This perspective re ects the thinking behind the Grand Paris project, where many buildings on the borders of Paris and in the suburbs bear wit- ness to a common history. Eugénie Lefebvre, General Director of Magasins Généraux in Pantin (93), who oversaw the move of the BETC advertising agen- Greater Paris

« Il faut construire la ville sur la ville »

Une cour ouverte sur la ville rempla- cera le parking où stationnaient et circulaient dans d’incessants va-et- vient les camions. On y trouvera un nouveau bureau de poste, des com- merces, une crèche, un commissa- riat de police et des logements se dé-

ploieront à l’étage. « Notre objectif était de transformer cet îlot industriel en îlot urbain, en lien avec les grands projets de restructuration du quartier autour du nouveau Forum des Halles et de l’ancienne Bourse du commerce réamé- nagée pour la Collection Pinault » , met en avant Nicolas Fournel, directeur du projet Poste du Louvre-Poste Immo. « La volonté de réhabiliter les immeubles de l’ère indus- trielle ne doit rien au hasard. Ils offrent une très grande souplesse dans leur aménagement et dans leurs usages car il n’y a pas de murs » , rappelle Anne Durand, architecte et urbaniste. Ces propos trouvent un écho dans les Grand Paris

JANVIER-FÉVRIER 2020

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PARIS VOUS AIME MAGAZINE