RSHP Wins Competition to Redevelop Rives-Defense Site in Paris

"The proposal focuses on reestablishing the district's relationship with the river by introducing new access points and restoring visual connections that are currently interrupted by infrastructure and layered urban development. By opening views and creating routes toward the waterfront, the project seeks to reposition the river as a central spatial and ecological component of the neighborhood."

"The design approach prioritizes the rehabilitation, reuse, and extension of existing structures, integrating new construction while retaining elements that contribute to the site's architectural and urban identity. This strategy aims to support a diverse mix of uses and reinforce everyday urban activity through housing, workplaces, and public spaces."

"The project introduces new landscaped areas, including public squares and extensive planting, intended to improve microclimatic conditions and create open spaces that function as bioclimatic environments within the dense urban context."

RSHP led a multidisciplinary team to design the redevelopment of the Rives-Défense site, an 8-hectare area at the western entrance of La Défense business district. The project prioritizes reestablishing the district's relationship with the Seine River by creating new access points and restoring visual connections obscured by existing infrastructure. The design strategy emphasizes rehabilitating and reusing existing structures while introducing new construction that maintains the site's architectural identity. The mixed-use neighborhood will include housing, workplaces, and public spaces, complemented by landscaped areas, public squares, and extensive planting to improve microclimatic conditions. The spatial organization creates a "metropolitan clearing" that integrates bioclimatic environments within the dense urban context while supporting low-carbon development principles.

Read at ArchDaily