ZAC intercommunale Thiais-Orly

A dense and varied canopy grows among railroad infrastructure, expanding a chain of public spaces that structures and unifies the area

Located at a former distribution center for the nearby MIN wholesale market, the 33.5-hectare project site spans open-cut train tracks. Though the vast railway disrupts the urban space, it also cultivates hidden landscapes waiting to be revealed: natural vegetation and views of the city stretching into the distance.

In the mismatched urban fabric of this fragmented area, large warehouses abut residential neighborhoods. Our project creates 5.6 hectares of parks, gardens, pedestrian pathways, and streets – a densely planted green tapestry that expands a chain of cohesive and legible public spaces and unifies the patchwork landscape. This porous urban network features three, new, large public spaces for the surrounding area and the city.

The train station plaza. This train station will soon be a major transportation hub in southern Île-de-France, served by the RER C, the TGV, and the future Grand Paris Express. Our project reimagines the typical urban, hardscape design of train station plazas. Instead, a landscape of planted groves forms lively public spaces. 

The Parc Trapèze park. Also called the Parc de la Scène Digitale, this park is located north of the train tracks in Thiais, nestled between the Scène Digitale e-sport arena and the metro line 14 station. The park’s footbridge spans the train tracks, offering an easy path between facilities for pedestrians and cyclists. Park vegetation draws visitors’ gazes to the views stretching off into the distance, framed along the train tracks. The park is unfenced, open to its surroundings. At its eastern end, the park extends into the future train station plaza.

The Parc des 15 Arpents park. This park, located in Orly, opens onto multiple facilities. It forms an eco-friendly, green ensemble with the rows of trees lining the Rue des 15 Arpents street.

Both parks consist of a simple design, featuring open meadow landscapes dotted with large groves. More intimate spaces are created here and there, when groves and meadows shape garden rooms.

These expanded and rejuvenated planted landscapes amplify the chain of public spaces. The transformed industrial urban area is reimagined as a sort of greenway, prioritizing active transportation methods. Nearby roadways are adapted to accommodate active mobility and pedestrians. Truck traffic is reduced from current high levels. The road network connects the new neighborhoods, previously only accessible from dead-end streets.