Place de la République - TVK - Trévelo & Viger-Kohler

TVK– Pierre Alain Trévelo and Antoine Viger-Kohler – hand over the redevelopment of the Place de la République, inaugurated by Bertrand Delanoe on Sunday 16 June. Due to its exceptional size (120m by nearly 300m), its symbolic dimension as a representative public statement and its location in the city, the Place de la République occupies a special place in the international hub that is Paris.

The redevelopment of the Place de la République is based on the concept of an open space with multiple urban uses. The elimination of the traffic circle frees the site from the dominating constraint of motor vehicle traffic. The creation of the concourse marks the return of calm in an airy, uncluttered two hectare space. The new square, now skirted by motor traffic, creates a large-scale landscape and becomes an urban resource, available and adaptable for different uses. Clear connections with the large boulevards promote a new balance centred on soft transport for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport. The statue of Marianne, the reflective pool, the pavilion and the rows of the trees form a strong axis. This harmony is amplified by the serene balance of the mineral element and a very gentle slope of 1%. All these elements contribute to both the interpretation of unitary materials in a perennial and contemporary manner and multiple explorations (colours, water, lights) creating different urban ambiances.

The Place de la République is now a new centre of attraction, a place for exchanges and meetings. Two terraces incorporated into the continuity of the square encourage people to sit down and relax. The south-west part of the square houses a 162 m2 pavilion also designed by TVK, a unique building, glazed throughout to retain a continuous impression of this singular space.
The Place de la République is now the largest pedestrian square in Paris.

Location: Place de la République Paris 3rd, 10th and 11th arron- dissements
Client: City of Paris, highways Department (Direction de la Voie- rie et Déplacements)
Project management:
Trévelo & Viger-Kohler, commissioned architects and urban planners: Pierre-Alain Trévelo and Antoine Viger- Kohler; Vincent hertenberger, Project Manager, with Agathe lavielle and Victor Francisco, Pavilion Project Manager, and Marta Blazquez, Xaviere Bouchacourt, Sophie Euscheler, Olivier Giraudo, Diane Gobillard, Jean-Baptiste Jacquel, Julien Jacquot, hee-Won Jung, Nicolas Mallet, Segolene Merlin and Anais Nicolas
ATEC technical consultants
Damien Bodenes and Audrey Marc AREAL + Martha Schwartz Partners, landscapers
Christian Weier
CITEC traffic and movement consultants
Philippe Gasser, Alexis Dupont-Roc and Matthieu Bara- del JML Consultants, fountain consultants Jean-Max llorca
AIK– Yann Kersale, lighting design Fabienne Maman, Jean-Marie Priol and Clara Ritouret
Transsolar, environmental consultants
Arnaud Billard
Ville Ouverte, dialogue and consulting
Gwenaelle d’Aboville and Pierre-Antoine Tiercelin, with Samuel Poisson Segic Ingenierie Mutual Fund Fabrice Giudici

Facts:
Dimensions of square: 280m x 120m
Pedestrian area: 2 ha
Bus, taxi and cycle lane: 7m wide, reduced-speed traffic
Ratio of pedestrians: traffic: Before: 2/3 traffic, 1/3 pedestrians After: 2/3 pedestrian, 1/3 traffic
Seating: - ground (wide steps + base of statue) – 24 wooden benches + 1 platform – “movable” chairs available
Water: - statue basin (3m wide around the base of the statue) – 276m2 reflecting pool (23mx12m) + sprays
Lighting – 34 lighting masts, 10 of them equipped with “signal bark” – 19 historic candelabra, restored