Thoughtful and “simple” upgrades to the Haussmannian ingenuity of the Îlot Victoria and Îlot Saint-Martin building complexes enable the site to evolve, without demolition or architectural oversteps. Four landscapes are nestled into the courtyards. Inspired by forest habitats, these landscapes create cool islands and bolster the neighborhood’s green infrastructure. A hardscape frame unifies the Victoria Complex courtyard, establishing a shared urban space while providing the surfacing necessary to accommodate movement, terraces, and movable street furniture. A forest island grows in the middle of this frame, featuring deciduous species perfect for filtering light year-round. This permeable courtyard is as much lived in as it is crossed through. Designed in the style of Parisian passageways, the porches open onto the surrounding city. In the courtyard of the western wing of the Victoria Complex, paving is removed and the ground level lowered to create an in-ground naturalistic garden. The topography of the courtyard, combined with the openings through the surrounding porch-passageways, make this pocket garden visible from the street. In this humid and shaded space, the garden emerges in layers among limestone rocks: undergrowth plants, ferns, multi-stemmed plants, and a moss garden.