The MacDonald warehouse, located on Marshal MacDonald Boulevard in 19th Arrondisman, was erected in the 1960s by architect Marcel Forest for the trucking company SNTR Calberson. This low structure occupies a huge area - 617 mx 80 m. Due to its length, it cuts off a significant area of the city from the street space, and the entire adjacent area, which is more likely to be classified as an industrial zone, has great potential for reconstruction. A dense transport network (close location of railway junctions, a ring road and a ring of "boulevards of marshals") makes it possible to turn it into a zone of residential and commercial development, while a significant expansion of infrastructure is not required.
In 2006, the building attracted the interest of investors, who acquired it, realizing both their benefits and the harm for the city of its further use as a warehouse. Since the roof of the building belonged to the state - there is a penalty parking there - an agreement was reached with the authorities that various public infrastructure facilities would open in the reconstructed building. The master plan for the restructuring was developed in the OMA bureau: it was dealt with by Rem Koolhaas himself and Floris Alkemade; the latter has been developing this plan since 2008 on the basis of his own workshop in collaboration with Xaver de Geyter. Due to the considerable length of the building, it was decided to split it in two: in this opening there will be tram tracks in the direction of the future station of the Evanjil high-speed railway. This space will not be exclusively functional: there will be an area of half a hectare (the width of the "gap" will be 50 m).
The warehouse itself, thanks to the strength of its structure, it was decided to build up twice - from 13 m to 28 m: as a result, 5-6 full-fledged floors will be added. Its very large width does not allow, however, to use the building in its existing form. A large courtyard will be arranged in the center of the building, where the windows of "residential buildings" will open (about 1200 apartments, half of them are social, a quarter - for rent, the rest - for sale). The part of the converted warehouse occupied by offices will be revitalized by smaller patios (planned 25,000 m2 of regular office space, and another 16,000 m2 for lease to state-sponsored entrepreneurs). But it should be noted that 70% of the old building will be preserved during the reconstruction. From the side of the boulevard, the facade will be visually unified (on this side, a "passage" -corridor will be thrown across the new square-passage in the middle of the building), from the south it will consist of rhythmically alternating blocks and openings.
A group of leading architects was involved in the development of the project: Michel Devigne is engaged in landscape design, apartments - Alkemade, de Geyter, Christian de Portzamparc, Gigon / Guyer, JDS and others, student housing and a hostel - AUC and Stéphane Maupin, offices - Odile Decck, Marc Mimram and François Leclercq, public spaces, outdoor parking and shops - Alchemade and de Gaiter, garage - Thierry Beaulieu, public infrastructure - Kengo Kuma.
Preparatory work has already begun, and construction should be completed in December 2013.
