France, 2013
Architecture
Berges de Seine
In Paris, for over 40 years, road traffic created a true divide between the city and its river. The development of the Berges de Seine offers Parisians, and lovers of Paris, not new spaces but rediscovered places.
The site of the Berges de Seine is undoubtedly one of the most constrained in France; two-thirds of the perimeter is classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site and is subject to the Flood Risk Prevention Plan (PPRI). As such, all developments must be able to be evacuated within 72 hours. The activity of three ports overlaps with the strollers, joggers, novice cyclists, and other future users of the banks.
The project signed by the agency managed to reconcile and reconcile nature, culture, sports, and leisure by proposing an edifyingly simple and effective layout: a single wooden beam module that combines and assembles according to needs, desires, seasons, and floods. This solid oak beam, measuring 150 x 300 mm, is notched with two slots that allow it to be easily moved by forklift. The assembled module alternately becomes a bench, amphitheater, sports apparatus, or stage. Simple, straightforward, and effective—a real child’s play!