MORLAND, Paris This former administrative complex has been transformed in close collaboration with the architect David Chipperfield. The initially open, north-facing courtyard now becomes an enclosed garden, surrounded by vaulted arcades. This design choice unexpectedly amplifies and expands the space, as the vaulted arcades provide a depth of distance between the garden and the exterior. The precise microtopographic relief at surface level provides enough soil for plantings, while taking into account the underground parking lots. The new, densely planted pocket forest, bursting with understory species, extends the surrounding public space. The Rooftop Terraces on the highest floors house a vast vertical growing system. The layered surfaces are designed to increase sunlight exposure, while remaining easily accessible for gardeners. These hydroponic rooftop gardens recycle gray water from the buildings for reuse in the plants. The artificial growing system blends seamlessly with the architecture: its vertical lines stretch into an extension of this 50-meter building, visible at distance from where it sits on the banks of the River Seine. The naturalistic courtyard garden and the engineered rooftop gardens are vastly different landscape interventions, yet each in their own way bloom in harmony with the powerful presence of the building.
Emerige, Société Parisienne du Nouvel Arsenal
David Chipperfield Architects (Lead consultant) / MDP / Somete, Bollinger & Grohmann / Alto-ingenierie / Ubiant / Bollinger & Grohmann
8379 m² (2 acres)