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6 million meters square offices and housing

Pushed in fifty years, the forest of defence towers overshadows the other side of the site which descends gently to the river Seine, in Nanterre. This is the hidden face of the defence. Designated as the sector B, this wide right-of-way covered originally half of the territory of the Prefecture of Hauts-de-Seine. At the top of the site, the Grande Arche is a hinge between the two sectors, opening a premonitory window on the downstream of the river Seine, in the direction of the Mantois for twenty years. Narrowed to the operational area of the Seine-Arche ZAC created in 2001, this second area takes shape and materialize the extension of the historic axis. This view of the mind becomes reality. The territory is organized around this premise of Developer: a logical and natural extension everything just to annoy, existing infrastructure as the first developments. If it clarifies recently, the West side still lack of readability. It remains backwards in the area of business which is conveniently turned to Paris. To the point that it is forgotten that Neuilly between them!

Announced in the summer 2007, the blueprint of the defence has not expanded the focal length and the future rounds of 300 metres ahead, deferred or not by the crisis, not lacking to shadow this "back country" long ignored. Sandwiched in the loop of the circular boulevard, the defence is yet more extensible, even in the height, its 160 hectares focusing 3.6 million meters square offices and housing. Must be the next step and invest Nanterre by inventing a new mode of development in decision-making with the joint support territory, through infrastructure and fragmented, needs to be mended.

Territorial governance

Fifty years after the creation of the public establishment of development of the defence (Epad) in 1958, a new speech is heard. The historical dichotomy between areas A and B is longer. The two operations of national interest (ISO) correspond them, 160 hectares upstream and downstream, including 125 for the Seine-Arche ZAC 320 hectares, respectively will be subsumed in a single perimeter of approximately 500 hectares, under the supervision of the State. "By the end of the year, development of defence and Seine-Arche two public institutions will be merged", provides Philippe Chaix, Director-General appointed in October 2008 at the head of the two structures, succeeding Bernard Bled and Michel Calen. A harbinger measure of the future institution which will be referred to as the "Epadesa". Previously General Secretary of the Prefecture of Hauts-de-Seine, Philippe Chaix is a knowledge of the terrain and a long practice of local elected representatives, including from Patrick Jarry, (PCF) Mayor of Nanterre whose City will evolve. Development is now available in a unitary way: "A single perimeter of national interest and a single public institution to implement a unique urban strategy", defends the Director. With a team renewed at his side, he strives to bring out a shared vision of this territory, which runs in a straight line 3.5 kilometres, "of the Seine in the Seine", through the North loop. The objective is to achieve by 2010 a valid urban project for the next twenty years. This public commitment reaffirmed through the modernization of governance and the involvement of local actors. Five working groups will bring together elected officials and State services on the topics of housing, transportation, the culture-sport-leisure, economic development and sustainable development. In addition to the three common supporters of Courbevoie, Nanterre and Puteaux, the composition in will be extended to the neighbouring Rueil-Malmaison Suresnes and the Garenne-Colombes. "An area of 365.000 inhabitants, of whom 91.000 on Nanterre, 80,000 in Rueil and on Courbevoie", lists Philippe Chaix, who wants to "open Windows in General". "More than 600 associations are counted, finds, and will offer to replay Athens through them, from 40 to fate, old stones cyclists defenders, passing by the Railroaders." These free citizens will have access to everything. "The opening also results in the formation of a"Council of territorial imagination"(sic) bringing together researchers, intellectuals and artists from all sides," to take the height ". Adopted in 2008, a study of definition on the urbanity of defence, the Agency Dusapin-Leclercq will accompany this reflection on the strategic orientations. A "plan guide" serve as the basis the Protocol between the State and the municipalities associated to formalise this high ISO born of the reunification of the operational sectors. "The collective definition of an urban project across the territory is the purpose of the approach, in line with the governance implementation", summarizes the representative of the State.

Terraces in Nanterre

The reports were never simple between the public developer and three common media, all combined political colours. The State will always hit local aspirations, while decentralization defused the conflict. The assertion of territorial coherence and the modernization of governance are designed to exceed this antagonism between a national project on globalization, and the local level. State policy against local interests. Working on the project and the method, the operator estimated that reconcile the logic and interests. And the field

This reconciliation to come certainly located in Nanterre, even if much still needs to be undertaken to open the business on its two sides Courbevoie and Puteaux district, not to mention his connection with Neuilly in the perspective of territorial jurisdiction, the developer spun the thread of the historic axis of the Seine Seine, settled the problems encountered. In addition to the banks to regain and Neuilly to better connect, the circular boulevard is the first frontier to abolish to create an urban continuity.

The case is heard since the appointment of teams Dubus-Richez (on Courbevoie) and Castro-Denissof (on Puteaux) for its requalification in urban road, at the level of the ground. The Gambetta on Courbevoie courts in office demonstration. "Should be landing the circular and invent links;" "it is more expensive than complicated to do," summarizes Philippe Chaix, confronted with a score of 150 million euros paid by the State. If the urbanity of the business district is perfectible, has the advantage of being circumscribed and established its identity as expressed by the towers. Beyond the circular, the landscape is blurred and the identity is lost. Urbanization appears on bumpy and disjointed Nanterre between rail and road infrastructure leaving Paris. Seine-Arche development initiated in the axis on the route of the buried A14 in the 1990 draft now readable perspective.

Initial capacity of 650,000 m2, Seine-Arche operation may offer term three times more square metres to its urban quality. This layout tiered terraces to the Seine River, as the winning project of the TGT team (2002), is the backbone of a territory in the making. The first segment, called "the terraces of the Ark", ends with end housing buildings built by LLTR and workshops 234 (terrace 17), agencies and Dusapin-Leclercq on the landscaped square, at the crossroads of avenue de Prefecture (terrace 12). Governing tertiary programmes undertaken for AXA and complementing the linear street of the three start-ups, these operations of 150 housing introduce the desired mix. Some existing offices already returned their facades on the Green axis and Habitat conversions are predictable. The second segment, the terraces of the University, starts with two lots of homes (10 and 9 terraces) allocated to the agencies X' you and Nicolas Michelin.

Beam hinge

If the axis of the terraces form, its articulation with the business district remains fuzzy. The two cemeteries and a stage presence creates a cut that the slope of the land increases, revealed by the panorama Jetty inherited from the former motorway work. The reorganization of the stage and the conversion of "growing" parking ramp is the circular will achieve the weld by new programs. At the other end of the axis, at the outlet of the A14 on the river Seine, the terraces dress of green with the Park of the path of the island on 14 hectares. Two ecoquartiers are programmed on its southern fringe: Hoche (650 units) and Rouget de Lisle, smaller. Also structuring, the new urban axis nearby with the sinuous bleeding of the beam of the Saint-Lazare and pathways of the old national road (RD914) whose curves squeeze the neighbourhood of the keys and the University set in congenital isolation. Between the two, the heart of operation based on the Nanterre-université RER station provides a link with 170,000 m2 to construct, including a shopping centre. But this heart, worn by Altarea and Eiffage, architect Jean-Paul Viguier for Coordinator, was slow to materialize. Surrounded by the infrastructure, the keys (70 hectares) is a Pocket where multiple activities are implemented over the years, in counterpoint to the defence. "Plan guide," developed by the Agency Patrick Chavannes proposes an approach from the existing to build an urban landscape. "The approach is to bring together all the partners concerned (State, city, RFF and SNCF) to make this area a new center of gravity to the articulation of the old areas A and B", summarizes Christophe Vénien, Director of the urban strategy for the public institution.

Difficulty: the beam of the pathways identified as "the place the more forced, on 100 hectares in the heart of this territory, which must all articulate." It the object of a study of definition in the form of an international competition. At the end of the first phase between eight competitors, three teams were selected, announced last month at the Mipim: Alexandre Chemetoff and Associates, Obras (Frédéric Bonnet, Marc Bigarnet) and KCAP International (Rotterdam). The specification says that the infrastructure is part of the city. "We are not going to play hide the trains and deny the road", said the head of urban planning.

"The existing cut-off, should be a hinge by reconciling the daily life of riparian areas and Norman trains interregional traffic." The bet is to rely on the beam to make the city and display it. "With this in mind, Nanterre apply to accommodate furur Centre of heritage conservation on a 6 hectare in pathways, real rail Island site. Grant infrastructure to the city and to match their respective gradings is an exercise that defence practice with more or less successfully since birth. Still an effort to attain the urbanity.