Rebuilding the heart of Paris: Forum des Halles

[Minato ku 631]

We are rebuilding the exterior of Forum des Halles mall while keeping the underground mall and big subway station open.

Forum des Halles is a 700,000 sq ft mostly underground shopping mall in the heart of Central Paris that opened in 1979 in lieu of the wholesale market of Paris (closed in 1969 and demolished between 1971 and 1973).

While very successful commercially, the Forum des Halles has never be considered as a success aesthetically.

 

The exterior of the mall in 2010.

 

Now in early 2013.

 

 

 

 

As the mall is going to have a facelift, there are many renovation

With the closure of the wholesale market, the area was pedestrianized.

Rue de Rivoli, one of the main street of Paris . It is next to the Forum des Halles.

 

[Minato ku 631]

More about the project under in construction.

 

A glass and metal canopy is under in construction in lieu of the former building above the mall.

The canopy will include:

-67,800 sq.ft of retail shops

-28,000 sq.ft music conservatory

-15,000 sq.ft hip-hop centre

-11,350 sq.ft library

-10,800 sq.ft of amateur workshops and a cultural centre for the deaf and hearing-impaired

 

Renders of the Canopy.

 

The existing 700,000 sq ft mall under the canopy will be renovated.

 

Edited February 19, 2013 by Minato ku

[Via Garibaldi 8 8,592]

Oh là là as my French co-worker would say... Très elegant mon ami! 

Edited February 19, 2013 by Via Garibaldi 8

[Minato ku 631]

Thank you ! 

 

Under the Forum des Halles mall lies one of the busiest, if not the busiest, transit interchange in Europe.

The whole complex of Chatelet-les-Halles with 750,000 daily passengers.

Like the mall, the station going to see a big renovation. The work is planned to be over by 2016.

 

The RER station of Chatelet les Halles with the line A in red, line B in blue and line D in green was built in 1977.

Like the mall while successful by the number of passengers, the station has many issues. A difficulty to navigate, conflicting crowds in everyway, a lack of exits.

The station has badly aged and is in bad state.

 

With the renovation the passengers space at the RER station will be increased by more than 50%.

One of the big new thing is the creation of a new exit directly from the RER station to the street, it was not possible before without going through the metro stations or the mall.

It will also be possible to go directly from the Chatelet metro station to the mall without going through the RER station via a new gallery.

 

The big new entrance at Marguerite de Navarre plaza.

In the left the configuration of the station nowadays, in the right the station tomorow.

A closer look of the reconfigured station

-A (in yellow): New gallery with shopping space with the fare gates to the RER station and metro stations

-B: New entrace of Marguerite de Navarre and the enlargement of the interchange area between the RER and Chatelet metro station 

-C: New Rambuteau and Berger entrances (access to the mall)

-D: reconfigured Place Carré entrance (access to the mall) and interchange to Les Halles metro station.

-E: reconfigured Lescot entrance (main access to the mall)

 

 

 

 

 

[Minato ku 631]

Some new renderings.

 

The cramped enclosed underground mall will be more open with the exterior

 

Pictures of the construction

Aerial picture taken during Bastille day.

Reuters/Charles Platiau

View from Beaubourg Pompidou center.

 

 

This is inside the mall, in theory this area is not accessible but it was open one day.