Rome-Paris-based firm IT’S has been named as one of the winners of the Inventons la Metropole du Grand Paris 2 competition. Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris is the largest European competition for city planning, architecture and public space. Over 50 sites have been put up for public tendering with the high ambition to generate innovative projects that set the agenda for the future of Paris, with more than 224 applicants, 85 teams shortlisted and 23 winner projects.
The proposal of IT’S studio - in team with Eiffage e Le Pôle Universitaire Léonard-de-Vinci, Base, ZEBRandCO - is conceived for the IMGP2-École d’architecture de Nanterre site, west of the Défense, where the abandoned school of Architecture designed by Jacques Kalisz and Roger Salem in 1972 is located. The regeneration project aims to reconnect the site to the urban context, trough the transformation of the existing building into the Léonard De Vinci University campus. The Jacques Kalisz and Roger Salem building will be refurbished and put in dialogue with three new buildings, thus defining a covered square designed as a connecting element between the campus area and the public green spaces. The shared services - such as cafeteria and sport facilities, will be located on the ground floor; the upper level will be dedicated to offices. The new buildings are designed to host classrooms and school facilities, as adaptable and multifunctional spaces, following the fundamentals of Kalisz’s design philosophy, which has inspired also the choice of materials: wood for the structure, transparent and mirrored glass, aluminum, emphasizing the architect's desire to fully connect the architecture with the surrounding nature, besides making the project sustainable and resilient.
