Books
- 2022
Sciences Po, un campus au cœur de Paris
Architecture
By tracing the history of the new Sciences Po campus in Paris, this book raises the issue of architectural conversion in the light of new uses. A former 17th-century novitiate, an arms factory during the French Revolution, an artillery museum: this exceptional historical site is facing a real challenge, that of hosting a university campus of the future in the heart of Paris, in a space redesigned by the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte with the property developer Sogelym Dixence.
In the heart of Paris, a remarkable, enclosed heritage complex has been revealed, which needs to be transformed: the Hôtel de l’Artillerie. It is accessed through a small hidden door, nestled in the short façade of number 1 of Place Saint-Thomas d’Aquin, next to the eponymous church in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. Rehabilitation requires a fine understanding of what is already there, but also an ability to objectify the site, to define its qualities as well as its shortcomings. How can the site be given new life in the light of new uses? This was the challenge of this project, as complex as it was ambitious, to connect the Artillery site to the city and bring it into the 21st century, a real leap in time.
