Road and rail infrastructure present some of the biggest challenges in metropolitan development. Whilst they were traditionally treated in isolation, today they represent a vast territory which is seen as conducive to the evolution of a city.
The exhibition shows a case in point with “Faisceau”, a 3 km territory between the Arche de la Défense and the Seine in Nanterre and presents three unique and strategic studies produced by Alexandre Chemetoff & associés, Kees Christiananse KCAP and Obras, three international architecture practices. Backed by EPADESA, the practices worked through scenarios for this border line territory consisting of one hundred hectare in the Nanterre landscape which also hosts incredible potential for the invention of the city and its future communities.
They are also interpreted as soft mobility links to communities which can evolve and develop their own usages. This ambitious approach is the result of seven months of collaborative work in thematic workshops by a diverse professional panel followed by four months of teamed research which highlighted the enormous potential of this urban wasteland. The topography, the rail tracks and roads make up a vast and fascinating terrain capable of serving the city both on a large and a local scale.
The starting point for future works, the presentation of these three studies as well as the photographic account by Alex MacLean provides a unique insight into this neglected area which lies at the heart of urban development initiatives in western Paris and which will amalgamate the large scale La Défense Seine-Arche project
3 defining studies of metropolitan infrastructure
Guest team :
Alexandre Chemetoff & Associates / Arcadis / Groupe Etude
KCAP Architects&Planners / Mutabilis Paysage / CO-BE / UP2M / OGI
Obras sarl d’architecture / Horizons Paysages / Alphaville / Transversal J.M. Roux / Cotebas territorial and mobility development
