HALLES POUCHARD

For more than 15 years, the city of Pantin has been undergoing a major urban transformation initiated by the opening up of the large former industrial sites that dot its territory. The Grandes Serres project proposes a fundamental transformation of the former Pouchard factories. Of the former industrial site, the master plan of urban planners François Leclerc and ECDM retains only one and a half frames of brick halls. Even if the halls are not classified, they are a strong marker in the landscape of the canal, an important testimony for the people of Pantin. With this context in mind, our proposal is based on the existing structure, on the interior volumes, on the intrinsic elements of the site, on the monumentality of the brick walls to create a piece of the city for a double population: the users of the campus and the people of Pantin.

The project was conceived with the objective of saving means and gestures from the exceptional heritage bequeathed to us: the metal skeleton hourdies with bricks, the Polonceau trusses, the lattice girders for bracing, the gabled roofs with zenithal lighting or the travelling cranes, the last markers of the past industrial activity.

We believe it is necessary to take inspiration from the genius of the place as a stepping stone for the transformation of the halls: previously a closed and technical space, tomorrow a mixed-use place open to all.

To carry out this ambitious transformation, we have focused our project on four points: opening up, breaking down the walls to offer new spaces, new uses - activating the facades - bringing in light - installing interior volumes in "Russian dolls".