Paris Launches EcoDistrict on Train Station Site

After a decade of development, Paris' first EcoDistrict launched this year. Built in place of a disused train station, the district features offices, housing, and amenities built around clean and green principles.

1 minute read

December 21, 2015, 6:00 AM PST

By Philip Rojc @PhilipRojc


Paris Trees

ClaudineLonget / Flickr

Paris' new EcoDistrict is a focal point in the city for sustainable infrastructure and design. "It includes clean transportation, rainwater collection machines, sustainable materials and efficient thermal insulation." 

The project stands on the site of the former Rungis Train Station in the 13th arrondissement. According to a piece in The Global Grid by Iva Boishin, "The new Parisian district was inaugurated on May 30, 2015 by Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris. Built on the old train station, bordering the little belt railway, on 4 hectares (9.9 acres); it was designed following sustainable development principles."

"'The design of the district, coordinated by the architect Bruno Fortier, is based on the concept of open blocks which allow light to enter, unlike Haussmann urban forms where only the facades facing the street are accessible from the public space' specifies Jean-Francois Gueullette." Gueullette is current director of SEMAPA, the Parisian public development entity that spearheaded the project to the tune of 83 million Euros.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015 in The Global Grid

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

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