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With a population density approaching 22,000 people per square kilometre, Paris ranks among the densest cities in the world. The strong desire for downtown living is forcing the French capital to make the most out of the few spaces still available for development within the city limits. In 1988, the municipality launched a series of studies considering the potential redevelopment of a 130-hectare site situated in the city's west end into a new mixed-use community. Mostly consisting of abandoned or under-used industrial properties and rail yards leading to the nearby Austerlitz Train Station, the site was handed over to publicly owned developer SEMAPA in 1991, with the construction of the National Library of France, now a landmark, starting that same year.
Later named Paris Rive Gauche — in reference to its location on the south bank of the river Seine, commonly referred to as the Left Bank — the emerging master-planned neighbourhood is Paris' largest urban renewal project since Haussmann's renovations in the 19th century. As international design competitions were held for the layout and architectural forms of the site, work began on the infrastructure necessary to connect the future neighbourhood to the rest of the city, including the construction of sewage, water, and electrical equipment, as well as the realization of new streets throughout the lots, a new bridge across the river, and the extension of Metro line 14.
In addition, 26 hectares of land are currently being reclaimed on top of an active rail yard. Similar to New York City's Hudson Yards, a 2.1-kilometre stretch of rail averaging 80 metres in width is being covered by a reinforced 1.5- to 5-metre-thick concrete slab. Supported by a series of circular concrete columns tucked in between the train tracks, the resulting esplanade forms a new ground level that partially serves as the foundation of the neighbourhood, while creating a physical connection between the newly built section and the rest of the 13th District.
After 25 years of active construction, Paris Rive Gauche is now home to more than 8,000 residents, 20,000 office workers, 30,000 students and teachers from the Paris Diderot campus located within a repurposed gristmill and adjacent warehouse, a 10-hectare park, as well as daily necessities such as schools, shops and entertainment venues. Ultimately, over 20,000 residents and 60,000 workers are expected to enliven the area. This number includes 1,500 student housing units (of which half will be subsidized), 3,000 social housing apartments, 3,000 condominiums, 745,000 square metres of gross floor area dedicated to offices, 405,000 square metres of retail and commercial spaces, and 665,000 square metres of public facilities.
Although Paris' conservative mid-rise urbanism is tentatively preserved, Paris Rive Gauche features an eclectic mix of adventurous modern edifices, some of which even take advantage of the municipality's recent changes concerning height limitations. Despite a strong opposition from residents, the eastern section of the neighbourhood known as Massena breaks the traditional 37-metre height limit which characterizes Paris' inner neighbourhoods. Set to rise 180 and 122 metres above street level, a pair of twisted Jean Nouvel-designed towers won city approval in September 2015, with a completion date scheduled for 2020.
Seeking LEED Platinum certification for their environmentally friendly properties, the Tours DUO continue the neighbourhood's track record for green buildings. Across the street from the pair of skyscrapers, the Tower of Biodiversity, designed by architect Edouard Francois and currently under construction, will be clad in titanium and covered in a net allowing native plants to grow over the entire structure.
Nearby, Amsterdam-based firm seARCH will soon be building a housing block crisscrossed by green spaces. Finally, as part of the Réinventer Paris initiative aimed at developing innovative urban projects in the city, DGT Architects was selected for their Feed Massena Again proposal. Consisting of a 13-storey, timber-clad urban farm mixed with housing, the tower will be built on the fringe of the emerging district.
More renderings and information about some of these projects can be found in the Database files, linked below. More pictures of the existing and ongoing developments of Paris Rive Gauche are available in the dedicated Forum thread, where you can get involved in the discussion.
