The new building forming the front of three major public spaces

Montreuil sous Bois is a town with over one hundred thousand inhabitants The city centre is recomposed with three major urban spaces.  A commercial centre defines the front of the public area.

The north side is turned towards the existing town hall redefining the Place of City Hall. On the east side the new theatre and the cinema complex integrated in the commercial centre ad the cultural component. Cafes, Bars and restaurants give a complementary offer to the two institutions. They open towards a park, a huge garden on an urban scale. Terraces oriented towards the park offer additional outdoor spaces. The south side a place free from installations is formed to allow a multitude of events like flee or Christmas markets, outdoor concerts or cinema, the installation of an open-air skate rink in winter.

A new pedestrian connection goes alongside in the west. A series of buildings for housing create its opposite façade. Shop windows on the ground floor open towards the street.

Shops of various sizes are installed in the commercial centre. The square plan of 75 by 75 meters offers maximum flexibility and adaptability to demand. The technical equipment, ventilation, electricity, of the shops plugs into a ventilation corridor in the middle parallel to the east west facades.

A large food market in the first underground level, two levels of parking, partially preexisting, complete the horizontal base on ground floor level.

A kindergarten and a cinema complex with six cinemas are located on the accessible roof terrace.

A lightweight structure in wood, prefabricated, forms the volume. A large inner circulation leads to the individual classrooms. Outdoor spaces are provided for every classroom. Big sliding windows open towards the play gardens.

The access to the kindergarten is situated in the pedestrian street. An upper place on the roof level, more intimate, creates the entry.

The cinemas are situated on the opposite side of the roof terrace. A translucide skin wrapped over a steel structure contains the six opaque volumes of the cinemas. At night it becomes a lit up element in the public space. 

On the east border the structure forms an oversized beam following the border of the building. It suspends the ground level and offers a generous space, free from columns, to the delivery area of the commercial centre that is located on the first underground level.

Commercial, cultural and social institutions compose the new city centre. Its mixed use animates the public space.

Project completed : 2012

Surface : 27.256 m²

Building cost : 20 M Euros