© Ateliers Lion architectes urbanistes, EPAMARNE

Competition objectives
As a cluster of excellence for Greater Paris, stretching over the municipalities of Noisy-le-Grand and Champs-sur-Marne, Descartes Cluster is expected to foster avenues of interconnection between research efforts and businesses working on the concept of sustainable cities and construction. The cluster core development project aims at exploring the full potential of an extended Cité Descartes, in order to bring about a scientific, urban and economic project possessing the wherewithal to energise the growth of this area. The idea is also to include the economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development, so as to elicit the potential of the 1,500 hectares covered by the project, which is meant to foreshadow the cities of the future.

The winning team consists of Ateliers Lion architectes urbanistes (Etienne Lénack, Yves Lion), common representative, and Alfred Peter paysagiste, Y Ingénierie, Sol Paysage, Ingérop Conseil & Ingénierie, Transsolar and Citec Ingénieurs Conseil, and they have 9 years maximum to complete their mission.

An area aiming to attract
To the Ateliers Lion team, the competition has laid out the kind of working principles through which projects develop in compliance with democratic debate. Yves Lion and Etienne Lénack believe that the idea is to create area-focused appeal so as to attract businesses and new residents through environmental quality, building density and social diversity. A new balance between Infrastructure, City and Nature Ateliers Lion’s project focuses on such issues as infrastructures, transport and mobility, as well as being founded on the nature areas which represent one of the major assets of this site.

© Ateliers Lion architectes urbanistes, EPAMARNE

They suggest a series of small hubs and “urban milestones” structured along the Boulevard du Ru du Nesle, which would host a segregated-lane public transport project (TCSP – transport en commun en site propre) through the extension of the T4 tramway line, running from Clichy Montfermeil to Les Yvris. Following this North-South route, major facilities will be installed, including a multimodal station in Noisy-Champs, encompassing the shopping centre in Champy. At that location, Yves Lion’s team pictures a large open concourse, expressing a powerful urban message, and representing a major hub for exchanges with the arrival of the automatic metro project, within the framework of the Greater Paris scheme. The establishment of such a substantial North-South link would be enhanced by the construction of an anchoring facility such as a stadium, built as a cover for the A4 motorway.

Following the East-West route, a bus rapid transit (BRT/BHNS – bus à haut niveau de service) would be set up on the A4 motorway, which would thus become an urban boulevard. To work, this project would require lower speed limits and reclaiming the edges alongside the infrastructure.

To regenerate natural values, we need to transpose the “intensive city” concept. The idea of “intensive nature” can be materialised through networking all of the wooded areas and extending the wetlands that help collect and filter rainwater, as well as representing a source of biodiversity. The Ateliers Lion project is intent on taking innovation even further by setting an objective for the production of “zero carbone” neighbourhoods. Accordingly, it recommends several initiatives for diversifying energy sources and reducing energy requirements, such as creating a heating network founded on the local wood industry, using geothermal energy, reusing biomass waste, installing solar panels, etc.

The project will be deployed through two phases: determining the overall settlement plan from September 2010 to January 2011, followed by the development of public areas. However, work on the Cluster has already begun with symbolic projects like the Scientific and Technical Cluster (PST – Pôle scientifique et technique), including the Bienvenüe and Descartes+ buildings (positive energy building). Descartes Cluster is also expected to host the Green Valley Programme, which involves 150,000 sq. m. in office space.