Could you make a brief introduction and tell us about Ateliers Lion?

I am one of six associates at Ateliers Lion, a firm with about fifty people, mostly architects, but also landscape architects. We work on urban and architectural projects, as well as housing units and public facilities. We have a highly diversified business, even though it is mostly focused on town-planning projects.

What was the objective of the competition you just won?

The competition launched by EPAMARNE involved a major programme of strategic development in the Eastern part of Metropolitan Paris, focusing on issues pertaining to sustainable cities. The idea is to use this theme as the focal point to develop activities, research and learning. All this will be developed across the 1.5 million m² of an extended Cité Descartes, a large area devoted to excellence which at this time hosts the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, the School of Architecture, the CSTB (Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment / Scientific and Technical Centre for the Building Industry) and the University of Marne-la-Vallée.

Could you summarise the features of your project?

First of all, we sought to develop a new relationship between city and nature by sketching a very clear border between mostly forest environments and urban environments; the objective is to prevent, in the long term, the city from “encroaching on” and consuming those natural areas. In compensation, we are suggesting a revitalisation and intensification programme for those natural areas which are protected today but neither exploited nor properly maintained. Our scheme also calls for substantial work on infrastructures with a highly significant transformation of the A4 motorway. Lastly, we have a “zero carbon neighbourhood” objective, meaning a balance between needs and resources; which requires a foundation of highly efficient buildings as well as to seek to optimise local resources.

How did you manage to stand out from the competition?
We worked on a very wide scale, across an area stretching to Clichy Montfermeil, suggesting taking two distinct tramway line segments and making them into one, so as to establish genuine development continuity in the area. Another strong point in our approach was the North-South orientation of the project and that intent to repair and transform the infrastructures. Lastly, the fact we had an environmental approach based on local resources was also to our advantage. On this point, we did not fully succeed, but at any rate we sought to find a maximum balance between needs and resources within a fairly confined environment.

Did you work with partners on this project?

We worked with seven partners, so it was a highly comprehensive team, including: landscape architect Alfred Peter, who enjoys a great reputation for his landscape perspectives; design office Y Ingénierie which helped us in costing the project; the Swiss concern Citec Ingénieurs Conseil and Ingérop Conseil & Ingénierie, specialists in travel and commuting; Two companies helped us regarding environmental issues: Transsolar for matters of energy and the zero carbon objective, and soil specialist Sol Paysage, who especially helped us analyse forestry resources.

What are the next steps in the project?

We have six months left to establish the master plan, which we shall adjust and submit to all players involved in the area; beyond that, we have a 9-year contract to deploy a maximum amount of the infrastructures suggested and to support the real-estate developments relating to the project.