Paris La Défense unveils the last two Empreintes winners at Mipim 2024

At MIPIM, the international market for real estate professionals, held in Cannes from March 12 to 14, 2024, Paris La Défense unveiled the winners of the last two sites in the Empreintes call for mixed-use, low-carbon projects, Demi-Lune and Liberté. The grouping represented by Quartus has won the Liberté site, while on the Demi-Lune side, it's the Linkcity grouping that will develop its project.

Ambitious projects will be carried out on both sites, to recreate links between the city and the business district and meet the environmental requirements and ambitions of the public institution.

Liberté: reversible buildings for a mixed-use program

The Liberté site is located near boulevard Patrick Devedjian, in Puteaux. The project was designed to link the city and the business district, creating a harmonious and dynamic link between these two very different areas. At the helm of this friendly project is the consortium represented by Quartus, accompanied by Baumschlager Eberle Architectes, Itar Architectures and landscape architect Wald.

It comprises a complex of four buildings, operating as a mixed-use island with a varied programming:

• Proue: a predominantly residential building, overlooking the other three buildings;
• Belvédère: the building will be dedicated to tertiary or residential use;
• Connecteur: the building will feature a terrace on the top floor for retail use;
• Promenade: located to the east of the program, in continuity with Rue de la République, this last building could accommodate a café and a gym.

Each building will feature a lively pedestal to liven up the ground floor. The two central buildings, Belvédère and Connecteur, have been designed to be reversible, so that their programming can evolve as needs change.

The project will also create new pedestrian links to bridge the height gaps and support the flow of traffic. The central gap between the Belvédère and Connecteur buildings will house a grand staircase, as well as cafés and restaurants. Green spaces are planned, including a wooded mound to the west and a landscaped walkway along boulevard Patrick Devedjian. Art will also find its place in these green spaces, extending the open-air museum that is Paris La Défense.

To find out more about the Liberté project

Demi-Lune: France's first low-carbon high-rise building

The winner of the Demi-Lune project, also located in Puteaux, is the consortium led by Linkcity. It comprises Crédit Agricole Immobilier Corporate et Promotion, architects L'AUC and XDGA, and landscape architects Inside Outside. Between the Pacific and Kupka towers, behind the Westfield Les 4 Temps shopping center, this 1.5-hectare right-of-way is encumbered by road infrastructures and significant differences in levels. The group's aim was to create a "space for urban reconciliation".

To achieve this, three structural fundamentals were developed:

• the creation of a landscaped hill in place of a road junction ;
• the animation of the foot of the buildings, to make it a lively base with three poles of activity: culture, sport and well-being, and gastronomy;
• the construction of France's first low-carbon high-rise building, accompanied by two mid-rise buildings.

The site will therefore be a place of experimentation with the construction of this high-rise building, a 90-meter tower, which will accommodate restaurants, a higher education school, office space, a hotel and apartment-workshops. It will be built using a low-carbon concrete post-and-beam structure, wooden floors and bio-sourced materials. Alongside it, two buildings of around 12,000 m2, built according to the same principles as the IGH, will offer complementary residential uses.

Find out more about the Demi-Lune project

Projects with strong environmental ambitions

Both projects were chosen to meet the ambitions and objectives set out in the Empreintes call for mixed-use, low-carbon urban projects, and the challenges set out in Paris La Défense's strategic direction.