STATUS
IDEA
Le Marais is a unique quarter in the heart of Paris characterized by the porosity of its city fabric. On the outside a traditional Parisian neighborhood of city blocks – on the inside a labyrinth of interconnected courtyards. Parallel worlds to discover and explore. Walls cave in to become gateways. Facades fold out to cover courtyards, or loop around to form roofs.
The historical heritage of Le Marais has provided us with a rich urban fabric of quirky courtyards and intimate spaces. BIG decided to expand this legacy from below to above and inside to outside. The future starts in the past. The outside begins on the inside.
At Rue de la Verrerie the façade pushes a bridge across the street to connect to its neighbor. The traditional elements of architecture fuse into a continuous warped surface: wall becomes roof becomes ceiling becomes gate becomes bridge. At a glance the new architecture blends seamlessly with its neighbors. On closer inspection it is a social sculpture shaped by the flow of people passing between its streets and archways, courtyards and rooftops.
Bjarke Ingels Danyu Zeng Francisco Castellanos Jakob Sand Marie Lancon Monika Dauksaite Roberto Fabbri Sarkis Sarkisyan Alexander Jacobson Andrea Angelo Suardi Andy Coward Davide Pellegrini Duncan Horswill Elias Gunnar Brulin Fabiana Cortolezzis Geet Gawri Gül Ertekin Hulda Jonsdottir Jakub Klimes Jesper Kanstrup Petersen Joanna Anna Jakubowska Ka Yiu Karry Li Luca Pileri Masashi Hirai Seunghan Yeum Tore Banke
COLLABORATORS
Systematica
INCET
Studio Fahrenheit
BMF
BIG Engineering
BIG Ideas
