These interventions are sized for a flow of 4

Initiated in 1977 by Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, President of the Republic, and inaugurated on March 13, 1986 by François Mitterrand the day of the passage of the Comet, Halley the city of science and industry of la Villette had never suffered real renovation. Designed by the architect Adrien Fainsilber, winner of the competition in 1980, in the carcass of the former sale of the unfinished Villette slaughter room, this gigantic building (250 m long, 150 m wide, 50 m high) that can contain four times the centre Pompidou to place like the fifth Museum most visited France (3 million visitors a year with many school and approximately 1,000 employees) after the Louvrethe centre Pompidou, Versailles and the Musée d'Orsay.

"Its renovation after twenty-three years is a real case in terms of recent heritage," argues Frédéric Poisson, Director of program at la Villette. Estimated amount of 17 million work, this project aims to redevelop the area around the building and its mineral forecourt, to redraw the circulations and public access to recharacterize the domestic concourse, to redistribute services spaces and finally to renew the identification of the place. These interventions are sized for a flow of 4.5 million visitors per year by 2012. "There are three major issues, said Frédéric Poisson, on the one hand, addressing the original dysfunction which was entering the visitors from the South side Park then the square north side is emerged as the most easily accessible especially since transit, on the other hand, meet the new uses and finally enter the great movement of redesign of the Parisian Northeast with including the arrival of the Philharmonie de Paris.". I think that today ' hui museums must move closer to the expectations of the public. "The project was behind the scenes since 2005 with the obligation to leave the Museum opened in its entirety during the duration of the work will thus be phased until 2012. Project unveiled today at the end of a market definition rests with the workshop studies SRN, affiliated with the SNCF and world leader in the design stations, working also largely on operations of a large scale such as museums, offices, housing, etc. "we chose SRN because his teams work flows and service to visitors and they know how to renovate a building in operation." "The idea is that everything becomes legible and intuitive," continues the contracting authority.

Spaces thinned

"We arrange essentially spaces receiving a considerable audience, said Etienne Tricaud, co-founder of SRN with Jean-Marie Duthilleul, here, we have done so to review the circulations from the Metro in dealing with the square North (3 hectares) which became a place of nature.". Two lanes give a geometry to a place that did not, to what this forecourt enrols really in continuity of the parc de la Villette. "Moreover, 7.500 m2 hall and distributions are recalibrated with as much attention. "We particularly studied filtering order to facilitate the great hall (110 m long, 18 m wide and 40 m high) with an atrium created South which gives to the lower levels of the building hosting the library, the Congress centre and outside the Géode which can be accessed directly", adds Etienne Tricaud. Need to adapt these sites while respecting their use, enrich the space and give clarity to the whole of the building.""We preferred the visibility and certification by creating a continuity of public spaces that are cycled through either to stay or to liberty," he concludes.

Completely independent, another great project called "perspective Villette" aims to finally open the fourth span of the building until now left fallow. After many proposals for public bodies, a consultation was finally launched in February 2005 and the winner designated Apsys operator in 2006 to design, build and operate the new equipment. It will include a multiplex of 16 Pathé theatres as well as shops and restaurants. Work should begin in the first quarter of 2010 for an opening to the public in the second quarter of 2012.

The city of science and industry, already petitioned rescue hot spot for exhibitions, strengthens its qualities to become a major pole of attraction in the northeast of the capital in three years.