Make a short headline "Morland Mixité Capitale by David Chipperfield Architects in Paris completed."

 

After six years of design and construction, the Morland Mixité Capitale mixed-use complex located in the heart of Paris has been completed by David Chipperfield Architects Berlin. The original building, which was constructed in the 1960s, has been refurbished, remodelled, and expanded.

The former administrative building known as the ‘Préfecture de Paris’ on Boulevard Morland has served the city's population for decades. In 2016, David Chipperfield Architects Berlin and French developer Emerige won the Call for Projects ‘Reinventer Paris’ for the complex. Their concept aimed to make the previously introverted complex accessible to the public again, transforming it into a vibrant and open destination with the character of a campus, providing a positive effect on the overall neighbourhood.

The two new building volumes face the boulevard and the River Seine and mediate between the scale of the existing and neighbouring buildings, contributing to the repair of the city. These volumes are raised above the ground, creating a new public axis that provides a passage from the boulevard to the River Seine. Load-bearing, vaulted arcades characterize this passage at ground floor level and act as a counterpart to the stringent column grid of the existing ensemble.

The complex caters to a wide spectrum of uses, including upscale and affordable housing, a hotel, a youth hostel, offices, retail spaces, a gallery, a food market, and a childcare facility. The two top floors house an inhabitable art installation, a bar, and a restaurant, providing a panoramic view of the French capital.

The official opening of Morland Mixité Capitale will take place on June 22nd. The complex's renovation and expansion aim to breathe new life into the previously closed-off building and provide a vibrant public space for the neighbourhood.

Preserving and further developing the existing building not only ensures urban continuity but also forms an essential component of the comprehensive sustainability concept. 

 

David Chipperfield about the project:

“I believe more than the design excellence of an individual building and its construction, architectural quality today is seen in the ways in which the building connects with its surroundings and enriches the quality of life for all citizens, addressing a holistic approach to sustainability. In the case of Morland Mixité Capitale, the gesture towards the public realm and the creation of a semi-public space was an important aspect, as well as the overlapping of different activities.”