Paris Rive Gauche

The site is adjacent to and dissected by a series of rail lines running parallel to the river. The neighbourhood is characterised by moderate-high rise buildings built on platforms over these rail lines.

The concept for a new neighbourhood in this location was identified in 1985. The area of central Paris within the Périphérique had reached capacity, with no available space for new development. Substantial de-industrialisation had affected the city, with some 350,000 jobs lost in the past twenty-five years to suburban and outlying provincial districts. The SNCF (national rail authority) and the City of Paris recognised the area around Austerlitz railway station as a potential development area.

The site comprises 130 hectares divided into three separate quarters – Austerlitz, Tolbiac and Massena. The former is dominated by Austerlitz railway station; the Tolbiac quarter is characterised by the new Bibliothèque Nationale; and Massena is primarily university buildings including the renovated Grand Moulins buildings. The site area represents three per cent of the existing area of the City of Paris.

The Société d'Économie Mixte et d'Aménagement de la Ville de Paris (SEMAPA) was formed as a partnership organisation to act as lead architect and co-ordinate the development of the site. The site was designated as a Zone d’Aménagement Concertée (ZAC - similar to an urban development area) in 1991 and work began on site shortly afterwards.

The Masterplan includes the creation of 5,000 apartments to raise the area’s population to 15,000 inhabitants. In addition, a central hub of activity associated with the relocation and consolidation of university buildings is being developed through the restoration of former trade and store buildings associated with Paris’s flour trade. The main underlying objectives of the masterplan are the sensitive integration of large-scale land uses into the city centre balanced with the creation of high quality, liveable neighbourhoods. The design of urban form and spaces has therefore been significant in integrating the area into the surrounding built form and creating continuity between the development areas.