03 Mar 2015
MVRDV puts ‘the human scale’ back into Paris
BY Katie Buckley
Dutch architectural firm MVRDV has been granted approval for the restructuring of a mixed-use 1970s complex in Paris, France.
Originally designed by Pierre Dufau, the Vandamme Nord, part of a wider urban development, currently houses retail and leisure outlets, as well as the 30-storey Pullman Hotel.
MVRDV’s design will "reintroduce the lost human scale and bring back a sense of place within the Montparnasse district." The scheme will focus on opening up the development and making it more pedestrian friendly, by inserting a collection of boxes with large open fronts into the existing structural frame.
These ‘boxes’ will be a key component in the design, as each will have a different function, providing spaces for restaurants, shops, a library, exterior gardens and living and working space.
Winy Maas, co-founder of MVRDV, said: "This project is a fantastic chance to insert a little bit of human scale into a megalomaniacal 1970s development in the very heart of Paris... On its façade, the building will display all of the activities that are going on inside."
Other firms working on the project include architects SRA, engineers SCYNA4, consultants LAFI + INEX, plus cost consultant VANGUARD. The project was commissioned by Unibail-Rodamco.
No budget or timescale has been set.
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