pariS - Saclay (fr

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LOCATION bures-sur-yVeTTe – pAris-sAclAy TerriTory POPULATION bures-sur-yVeTTe 9,900 inHAb. - orsAy 16,600 inHAb. - uniVersiTy pAris-souTH 27,000 sTudenTs And 2,500 TeAcHersreseArcHers STRATEGIC SITE 290 HA SITE OF PROJECT 33.5 HA

SITE PROPOSED BY

eTAblissemenT public pArissAclAy (epps), WiTH THose pArTners on THe projecT: uniVersiTy pAris-souTH, ciTies oF bures-sur-yVeTTe And orsAy, communAuTé d’AgglomérATion du plATeAu de sAclAy, crous, sTATe OWNER(S) OF THE SITE sTATe

IntErvIEW

of the Site’S repreSentative

Epps

lAurEncE scHluMbErgEr-guEd, expert of Site (excerptS froM the coMpetition brief)

presentation of the site within the context of the city development and in terms of strategy

in the near future, paris-Saclay will be a world-class innovation cluster, networked with all the city of paris’s development hubs, linked by a new grand paris express metro line. it will rely on the interactions between higher education research and industry, contributing to job creation and growth. the valley campus study site and the adjacent town centres of bures-suryvette and orsay form part of the wider area of the yvette valley [from palaiseau to Saint-rémy les chevreuse], and link with the first development of paris-Saclay on the plateau, north of the building-free slopes. embedded in a protected natural site, the location enjoys a landscape of great quality. however, it suffers from a lack of connections between town and university, and from insufficiently developed public spaces. as it stands, it does not offer the amenities one might expect from a university town. the project site, at the western end of the study site, stands at the intersection of the urban fabric of bures-sur-yvette and one of the teaching hubs of the valley campus which is set to become the core of a teaching cluster. it possesses all the assets needed to enjoy short-term quality improvements.

How can the site be integrated in the issue of the adaptable city and how do you consider this issue?

at paris-Saclay, the adaptable city means: a new balance between city and nature which offers the amenities of an urban centre within a setting that celebrates natural spaces; urban intensity which facilitates communal practices and encounters between people of all kinds; economical management of space through compactness and the pooling of public spaces and amenities; open planning leaving room for sociological changes and innovation.

At the time of sustainable development coupled to an economic crisis, have you already defined a specific strategy for the urban development of the site?

as a historical site of french scientific research, the université paris-Sud campus in the yvette valley is devising the third generation of universities. the municipalities of bures-sur-yvette and orsay, where it is located, wish to see the campus open up and develop links with the surrounding urban fabrics. eppS supports the participants and guarantees the coherence of the overall project, notably with the Saclay plateau South urban project. the western entrance to the campus, designated as the europan project site, has been identified by all the partners as suitable, in the short term, for the creation of the adaptable campus.

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yvAn oKotnIKoff (fr) AurélIEn dElcHEt (fr) architectS tHIbAult bArbIEr (fr) MAtHIEu dElorME (fr) lanDScape engineerS – urban plannerS tHoMAs nouAIllEr (fr) architectS - urban planner

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the Mobility proMoteS intenSitieS on each platforM

negotiation lab

team point of view urban quality depends more on acceptance by residents than on initial design. it is not predetermined but is refined on a dayto-day basis. on the basis of this observation, we looked at the development of “villecampus” not as a goal but more as a particular moment where the framework of the permanent negotiations required to create a human settlement is defined. the project is thus built on an open system, embodied in five projects, five platforms used for: - permanent adjustments between the site’s metropolitan role and its daily life - convergence between natural and urban dynamics - operational proposals so that this city fragment may acquire and retain a certain plasticity, that it remains adaptable “in the flesh”

jury point of view the jury stressed the project’s ambitious pursuit of links between the town and the plateau. it also appreciated the bottom-up approach to stakeholder participation. the proposal for a cable car linking the valley to the plateau was seen as a very effective way to meet the needs of students and university staff. the system of densification platforms established by the team reflects a very subtle and contextual reading of the site’s topography and uses.

the neW axiS connecting all Strata of the valley

StateMent: repartition of the natural anD urban challengeS propoSal: articulation of the natural anD urban StakeS

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the Double coherence: a territorial project

reversing the grid

team point of view our project seeks to connect different territories while revealing their specificities. the quest for territorial cohesion is twofold, affecting both the metropolitan territory and the existing districts in the valley. this dual cohesion is achieved by inverting the urban project in progress on the plateau: the urban grid becomes a natural grid in the valley; the plateau’s structuring public spaces re-appear around the existing university buildings as universityscapes. finally, the concept of intermediate nature gives way to that of intermediate cityscape on contact with the districts in the valley. the concept gives the territory a strong structure, but each “environment” preserves its own pattern of development. this configuration guarantees the project genuine adaptability and generates different rhythms that coexist within this large area.

jury point of view the jury considered the strategy for connecting the plateau, the town and the university very well conceived. it welcomed the coherence of the approach of introducing three identifiable milieus and the flexibility of a low-intervention strategy. the spatial framing, mirroring the plateau project, was seen as both a powerful and an adaptable concept, with the capacity to tighten distended space and clarify the site’s street structure. the jury also approved the proposed densification on the edges of the campus, which opens the door to mixing between residents and students.

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the SMall-Scale aDaptable architectural featureS, to fraMe the territorial coherence in long terM

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gather in/parcel out: 2 ways to differentiate development

team point of view new urban and landscape entities form the basis for the recomposition and then development of a campus today structured only by its road system, where the exceptional natural environment has never been considered or valued. courtyards and landscape strips: these flexible and readable complementary schemes moulded on the topography (the valley, the start of the hillside), quickly restructure the site with few programs and do the groundwork for progressive urban planning, while taxing a dual requirement: the compactness needed for sharing and a vibrant campus life; the porosity needed to optimise the landscape and for the development of a park shared both by town and campus, for a road network on the site itself and spreading to the town centre and to the cluster.

jury point of view the quality of this project lies in its introduction of two complementary urban entities: courtyards and strips. the jury liked the relevance of this strategy of gathering urban and architectural forms around oriented courtyards, which restores a sense of scale to the expanse of the campus site. the jury also noted the adaptable nature of the proposal, which offers an interesting phasing process.