Search
|

PB22 towers in the skyline of la Défense

  • Publish On 2 May 2017

In the context of a revitalization of La Défense, PCA-STREAM has imagined a complex form that grows through morphogenesis. La Défense, Europe's leading business district, needed a new lease on life to remain competitive with international markets. The obsolescent nature of its property holdings and the ageing character of its concrete based urban planning, sterile and closed in on itself, pushed the government in 2006 to launch a plan to accelerate and amplify the actions engaged by the EPAD. Architectural audacity was required in replacing the most obsolete of the towers, along with the objective or harmoniously reinforcing the connections with the neighbouring communes. The objective is to restore a strong image to La Défense, an image of innovation that is in phase with contemporary environmental issues.

 

 

Bibliography

explore

Vidéo

Exploring the possibilities of a feminist architecture

Iris Handschin

Vidéo

Exploring the possibilities of a feminist architecture

Iris Handschin is an architect. In her final year thesis, DMC: Démocratie, matriarcale, citoyenne (DMC : Democracy, Matriarchy, Citizenship), she explores the relationship between sisterhood and architecture. How can we create a shared space of freedom and undo the hierarchical relationships at play in both private and public spaces? Exploring the possibilities of a feminist architecture inspired by the beguinages, Iris Handschin focuses on the rehabilitation of a former textile factory dating from the 1740s, outlining the contours of a truly democratic space.

Discover
Article

Rethinking the Campus: Balancing Tradition and Innovation

PCA-STREAM

Article

Rethinking the Campus: Balancing Tradition and Innovation

At its core, the campus embodies an enduring quest for an ideal. Its form is fraught with tensions inherited from a long history that remain relevant even as it adapts to contemporary challenges. Driven by a race to maximize their appeal, campuses are transforming into architectural showcases, competing with corporate headquarters in embodying new values and attracting top talent. Their structures and functions are evolving to meet the shifting needs of education and society. By embracing the archetypes of the agora and the garden—the original dichotomy of campuses—these bastions of knowledge are forming the contours of a new era in higher education.

Discover
Vidéo

Soil

Emmanuelle Déchelette, Lucie Ponard, Thomas Gaudron, Jean-Claude Morel

Vidéo

Soil

Although soil is used as a building material in many parts of the world, it has often been regarded as a waste product in France in recent decades, with little use being made of excavated soil. However, its thermal and hygrometric properties, its extremely low carbon footprint when used raw, its abundance and the natural variations in colour that it offers in every region make it a rich and inspiring material for today’s architects and designers. How can we adapt our building techniques to bring this material into line with contemporary requirements, and get rid of the vision of primitive housing that it still evokes for many people?

Discover
Article

From lectures to learner-centered experiences, the metamorphosis of educational facilities

PCA-STREAM

Article

From lectures to learner-centered experiences, the metamorphosis of educational facilities

Driven by a race for attractiveness, campuses are becoming architectural showcases, competing with corporate headquarters to embody new values and attract curious minds. The form and function of campuses are evolving to meet the changing needs of education, where tradition meets innovation in a drive for excellence and inclusivity. We are entering a new era of higher education!

Discover
Article

Living Beings

LVAO

Article

Living Beings

La Vie à l’œuvre (Life in the Making), a collective of researchers in the natural sciences, humanities and social sciences, as well as artists, was set up at the Université Paris Sciences & Lettres in 2014 to explore interdisciplinary collective intelligence around the theme of the living. Functioning as an incubator of ideas, they explore the potential of living beings, particularly via experiments between art and science. A Stream 05 – New Intelligences article to discover!

Discover
Vidéo

Stone

Elisabeth Bouchaud, Cyril Pressacco, Denis Macrez, Ana Hedan, Paul Vergonjeanne

Vidéo

Stone

Discover the inaugural lecture of the “Alma Matter” series! In a world where the myth of abundance is collapsing, this series of lectures looks at what matter really has to offer. Actors, professions, economies, temporalities, geopolitics: how do contemporary issues of creation take shape through those of matter? Each talk focuses on a particular material, and brings together its stakeholders in a dialogue. The use of stone in construction declined during the twentieth century. Today, its return is acclaimed for its qualities: inertia, durability, low-emission processing, local presence… but what techniques and applications will be used in 2024? As part of the City Metabolism Chair supported by the Université Paris Sciences & Lettres.

Discover
Vidéo

The art of artificial life

Justine Emard

Vidéo

The art of artificial life

Justine Emard is a visual artist. Her installations use AI to understand the living, exploring the boundaries between organic life and artificial intelligence. Bee swarms, encephalographic recordings and prehistoric paintings become learning supports for algorithms that, contrary to dystopian imaginations, generate new supra-hyper-organisms.

Discover
Vidéo

Metal

Antonin Yuji Maeno, Manon Leconte, Patrick Le Pense, Cyrille Terrolles

Vidéo

Metal

A symbol of the industrial revolution, the rise of metal in construction accompanied the renewal of Paris under Haussmann. Its origins in blast furnaces is associated with a high carbon footprint. Yet it is still widely used in facades, and seems promising for circular economy, as it is easy to dismantle. But is this enough of an advantage? As part of the City Metabolism Chair supported by the Université Paris Sciences & Lettres.  

Discover