Saint-Gobain is a manufacturer of high-tech building solutions. Her philosophy is to develop the concept of "ecology of life" in the broadest sense of the word. Saint-Gobain's technologies are designed to change the environment and solve the problems of modern cities, based on the principles of “sustainable development”. These values are also reflected in the competitions that the company holds around the world. This is a unique opportunity for students to try themselves in working with the European norms of "green design", to understand what modern world standards of "sustainable" architecture mean.
This year the subject of the competition was the former industrial site of the Coignet Enterprise reinforced concrete plant in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. The suburb is famous for its abbey, where the kings of France were buried; and the reconstruction of its cathedral, undertaken in the 12th century, laid the foundation for Gothic architecture with its large windows and ribbed vaults. In addition, at the end of the 19th century, in the suburb of Saint-Denis, the world's first building with reinforced concrete structures was built - just on the territory of the Coignet Enterprise. These facts give reason to trace the demonstration of "progressive methods" of construction in the local genius loci. Today, they certainly lie in "sustainable" technologies, which, perhaps, should be considered the key to competitive design.
Considered
the site is a legacy of the "working" history of the suburb, which since 2000 has become part of the union of the Plein Communes - a territorial entity of nine cities in the north of the metropolis, with a common "cultural" development strategy in terms of the "Greater Paris". Saint-Denis's urban planning heritage is multi-layered and interesting. The "Gothic" period, which preserves the memory of the royal dynasty, is enclosed in the historic center. But by the beginning of the 20th century, Saint-Denis became known as one of the “reddest” workers' suburbs of Paris, which elected its own socialist administration. This period of Saint-Denis is associated with rapid industrial production, which largely determined its current appearance.
The current vector of urban development of the satellite is shifting from industrial to creative, and its future is expected to be influenced by the large-scale transformations of the 2024 Olympic Games. As noted in the competition task, the nearest plans for the development of the suburb include the arrangement of a city park of 3 hectares, as well as the commercial development that compensates for the economic profitability of the project - a condominium for 300 apartments and a school. Participants need to work out the master plan, taking into account the links with the surrounding areas, including with the metropolis, from which Saint-Denis is separated by the Seine and the railway. Find planning solutions for housing and schools, in accordance with local regulations, as well as think about the concept of preservation and "new life" of the same "monument" made of reinforced concrete called "Mason Kuan". The building is now in ruins.
Meanwhile, fifty percent of success depends on the depth of elaboration of the architectural part in the concept, since it is for architecture accrued half points … A big plus for the participants is that a significant amount of work has already been done by the organizers of the competition: the context has been collected, the analytical part has been completed, information on city standards and regulations has been provided. So it is useful to take part in this competition at least in order to immerse yourself in this project context, to study European approaches and standards on your own experience. It will not be superfluous for students to work with “green” technological solutions, to think about how energy saving and air quality systems, noise protection of the nearby railway, and the use of natural lighting as much as possible are integrated into modern projects. The use of Saint-Gobain technologies in this part will give another 10 percent to the final assessment.
Students of architecture and construction universities, including in teams of two, will be able to take part in the competition at the national stage. You need to register for participation before February 1, 2020, submit your project - until February 20. No more than 15 finalists will receive cash rewards and the opportunity to travel to the international stage to share their experience with finalists from other countries. They will be announced on April 10th.
All information about the competition on the website:
