Specifications
Background
An
international architectural contest has been launched
to rebuild Forum des Halles' superstructures because
they have been prematurely damaged. 10 candidates
have been chosen to participate in this contest
and the jury will announce the winner June 29th
2007.
The City is hesitating to organise a second competition
regarding the garden as well as the building because
the design proposed by the architect David Mangin
is likely to be kept. However, these designs do
not take into account the many expectations of
those who will be using des Halles: visitors,
residents, merchants, walkers… Nothing has
changed in the last two years despite the numerous
demands of users and studies that have been conducted.
That's
why Accomplir wants to bring a bit of creativity
to the situation, and by launching a competition
to gather ideas for the renovation of "Jardin
des Halles", they hope to achieve this. The
criteria to be fulfilled is based on a functional
design specification that incorporates the user's
wishes, put together during debates regarding
the project.
This
competition has a double objective: the creation
of a "garden for everyone", with different
areas where everyone can find a place that suits
them, and to be as creative as possible regarding
this exceptional place located in the centre of
Paris.
To
be able to carry out this project, Accomplir is
working together with 2 partners. Repères
(www.reperes.net
and
www.reperes-secondlife.com) is in charge of
the diffusion of the project on Second Life -
a virtual 3D world imagined, created and owned
by his residents, and Pourquoitucours (www.pourquoitucours.fr)
is in charge of the brief and will mobilize its
relations for this project.
Jardin
des Halles
"Jardin
des Halles" covers around 45.000 m2 in buildings,
from the "Bourse du Commerce" (1)
all the way to "Alley Baltard" found
by the "crater" of the Forum (2).
Even though it is small in size, the garden above
"Forum des Halles" is well frequented:
this garden is in the centre of Paris.
Located
in a built-up area, this garden is a peaceful
place that is open to everybody who finds himself
in Halles:
-
residents
walking their dogs, reading a book or just going
for a stroll
- parents or nannies going to the play areas
with their children in order to chat
- people in their fifties that love to jog
- tourists who sit down on the grass in front
of Saint-Eustache to look at the church
- grandmas chatting on the bench while they
bask in the sun or watch the children play
- old men playing board games on stone benches,
- groups that get together to practice Taï
Chi Chuan early in the morning
- small children learning how to ride a tricycle
- teenagers or students laying down in the grass
or playing football
- handsome men sunbathing with no shirt on
- bowls players of all ages and abilities playing
under the trees
- the people working in Forum des Halles and
in near-by shops and companies taking their
lunch on benches or in the amphitheatre near
the Church
- bikers taking a shortcut
- couples walking along a windy path, making
the most of their time, holding hands, and kissing
- young people from the suburbs walking in the
gardens to relax between purchases in Forum
or waiting for his friends to practice break
dancing
- groups of young deaf people getting together
to discuss using sign language
- teenagers playing ping-pong on the designated
tables
- homeless people taking a rest on a bench
- tourists taking pictures of themselves in
front of the big stone head by the church…
Situated
in the crossraods between several busy streets,
" Jardin des Halles " is also a transit
area for residents and workers taking the subway,
people who wanting to go shopping in rue Montorgueil
or market on rue Montmartre and tourists going
to the Louvre or Beaubourg.
Technical
agreements
The surface of the garden is raised in some parts:
this can be maintained or changed.
"Jardin des Halles" is a crossroad planted
with trees in the centre of Paris . The aim is
to improve the organisation of mineral and vegetal
areas, pedestrian areas and resting areas. It
is vital that the garden can be easily crossed
using the main pathways leading from rue Montmatre
and rue Montorgeuil in the north, rue du Pont
Neuf in the south, rue Berger in the east and
rue Coquillière in the west. Access between
the garden and the "crater" of "Forum
des Halles" should also be planned.
Two
areas are visited frequently, and are considered
as assets for the gardens:
- The René Cassin square (11),
a large amphitheater located in front of the transept
of the church, with a sculpture of a large stone
head (12).
Due to its location near the church, and despite
its amphitheater shape, this place acts as a meeting
place and is dedicated to silence, relaxation,
contemplation, and not to events.
- The Children's Garden, also known as the Adventure
Garden (10)
is located in the north-east part of the gardens.
It is enclosed by a fairly high fence because
the children between the ages of 7 and 11 play
there alone, supervised by monitors. This garden
is like a maze, with many games and "imaginary
worlds," characterised by different vegetation.
It is necessary to improve its landscape to make
a sort of "children's island" that can
be seen from far away.
There are great expectations regarding the play
areas, not only for the children, for whom 3000m2
of land have been set aside, but also for the
adolescents and adults. A place to play bowls,
ping-pong tables, chess tables, tables with space
for four to sit at to play board games, a basketball
court, a small podium for street theater, string
quartets etc are to be integrated into all designs.
With that in mind, this place is to be peaceful,
so music events and big shows are banned.
At
least two additional sculptures are to be designed:
-
one playful sculpture, something suitable for
children and adults (such as the big head or
Colonnes de Buren),
- one sculpture symbolising the mythic aspects
of the Halles for young parisians, which is
one of their favourite places in the Paris area.
Four
doors giving access to the underground Forum (shops,
transport and services) need to be enlarged and
made easy to spot from afar: porte du Jour (5),
porte Saint-Eustache (6),
porte du Louvre (7)
and porte du Pont-Neuf (8).
Two
permanent features need to be taken into consideration
:
-
The oculus(3),
a large glass plate situated in the centre of
the garden, which is used to light up the big
street in the Forum underneath
- The 4 glass pyramids (4)
which give light to the tropical greenhouse
located in the basement, next to the swimming
pool.
The
garden is listed as a non-commercial area, therefore
no sidewalk cafés can be put there.
The
views of Saint-Eustache, in particular those from
rue des Prouvaires of the transept of the church(9),
are to be increased by the paths.
Flowerbeds
and green surfaces
(trees, bushes, flowers) should be as big and
numerous as possible, and, if possible, areas
with different types and themes of plants.
Public
benches, whether in the traditional form or otherwise,
are desired throughout the garden.
Water
features are to remain prominent: there should
be decorative fountains and drinking fountains
throughout the garden.
A building (approx. 50m²) for public conveniences
would be useful. Its architecture should be fun
and attractive.
