4.2 | Rethinking the Courtyard

Fig. 77 - Palais-Royal on the map of Turgot 1739 Source: fr.wikipedia.org

Huge courtyard with a total surface area of 1.5ha has been reimagined and transformed by superimposing the grid of trees in reference to the Parisian gardens. The grid is aligned with the existing building façade and the distance between the trees is taken from Paris urban parks, such as Jardin du Palais-Royal, Place Dauphine, Place des Vosges. The row of Tilias have been picked, as the most common tree in classic Parisian gardens. This operation allowed to divide the vast area of the courtyard in easily comprehensible and manageable segments and made the courtyard more in tune with the human scale. This operation additionally references Parisian tradition of public gardens with scattered green chairs and gravel surface where different activities (such as pétanque) are enjoyed.

Cité de la Muette Courtyard - Current Situation

Cité de la Muette Courtyard - With Parisian grid of trees