Construction of a cultural centre, rue des Rigoles

The geography of the north-east of Paris, marked by the presence of aqueducts as early as the XVIIIth century, gives the Jourdain district a unique identity, closely linked to water. The Lavoir des Rigoles, a symbol of community life, bears witness to this heritage on a site now occupied by a lively square that benefits from plenty of sunshine, rows of plane trees and the cafés that line it. The new cultural facility will extend this link with the historical context and landscape, while meeting today's environmental challenges. The project is based on a number of fundamental principles: architectural integration that respects the site, a public garden planted with trees at the entrance to the site to anchor the facility in the neighbourhood, the creation of an ambitious roof garden based on ecosystem principles, with zones for urban agriculture and a multi-purpose meadow area... all designed to be environmentally friendly. Designed using bio- and geo-sourced materials - wood and terracotta or adobe - the building adopts a scalable, sustainable architecture. The optimised structure facilitates efficient, fluid operation, allowing great flexibility over time (increased chronotopy) and autonomy of programmes, fostering collective creativity. With its successive terraced volumes, it harmoniously weaves connections with neighbouring buildings while providing an inclusive, unifying space at the heart of the XXᵉ arrondissement.