News - Les Halles Redesign Competition
Posted by JoeVare, 29 June 2004

If you've ever been to Paris, then you probably remember Les Halles as that out of place, mostly underground, fairly ugly concrete mall that connects to the never ending Chatelet RER and Metro station. The people of Paris also realize that they can do better in the space and launched a competition to redesign it.

The finalists are:

AJN/Atelier Jean Nouvel
The most amazing thing about Nouvel's big, bulky design is the roof top garden- a wild meadow suspended over Paris with unbelievable views.

MVRDV/Winy Maas
Offers a series of gardens and transparent spaces to the functions underground, and a funky, colorful almost childlike model.

OMA/Rem Koolhaas
Also mostly underground, this design is a series of memorable tapered towers in a park.

SEURA/David Mangin
Adds a suspiciously Parisian big glass canopy at one end of the park. Probably the safest choice, but only when you compare it to the other three.

The official site online is at http://www.projetleshalles.com/projet/a_pro0904043.htm and all in French. To see the projects, just click on the names, then the link that says Visite de la maquette, which will give you an animated flythrough of the selected project. All four animations are similiar in format, it is the best way to compare the projects. Each of the entries also has their presentation boards available online under the Panneau links.

Update - Les Halles Redesign Competition
Posted by JoeVare, 10 December 2004

When is a competition winner not really a competition winner? The answer is when it's SEURA/David Mangin. After triumphing over three better known firms, it was announced that Mangin might not be designing any of the buildings but instead just working on a master plan. While it is way too early to know for sure, right now none of this looks like a good sign for anyone.