Richez Associes

Inaugurated June 6 through until September 1st, the exhibition displays our work undertaken with Holos, the Metropolitan Forum consortium led by Richez_Associés, on the future of the motorways and expressways within the A86 ring road.

Alongside three other teams led by architects - Devillers & Associés, Seura, Rogers - we consider it urgent to reduce the number of vehicles that use these motorways within dense urban areas, especially for health reasons. To meet this objective, a massive change towards public transport that uses express buses in dedicated lanes is necessary.

Furthermore, we particularly stress the importance to permanently communicate the impact of the change; overhead signs should display in real time the number of passengers transported on buses in these dedicated lanes, far superior than those conveyed by roads congested by unaccompanied motorists. We also draw attention to the potential for environmental benefits provided by these dedicated lanes and interchanges - their reconfiguration makes possible a reduction in the number of vehicles and the conversion of the connection ramps into intersections with traffic lights, extensively replanted to make them permeable, and the transformation of these hot bitumen corridors (+5° to 10° in comparison with the metropolitan area) into cool corridors to ventilate Greater Paris. The reclaimed spaces and fringe areas will be complemented with by additional cross links to reduce the backtracking that impinges upon the infrastructure. Finally, in many places they create magnificent perspective views of the imposing metropolitan landscape. These should be improved to accommodate walks, jogging and many other uses; recreational activities that will reconcile these large infrastructures with the attributes of the metropolitan region.                                                                                                                                                            

Until July 13, now too late - Champigny-Centre and Bry-Villiers-Champigny, our two Line 15 stations, together with the Massy-Palaiseau station on Line 18 were exhibited at the Biennale d’Architecture et de Paysage, BAP! instigated by Valérie Pécresse and François de Mazières. The advancement of our design studies  facilitated a presentation with the selected material samples - light-coloured concrete, bamboo and zinc. This was the first exhibition of the Massy-Palaiseau station, entirely redesigned as part of the Greater Paris Express cost control programme. The exhibition is the first time we present his new concept - the vault is a landmark at the scale of the extensive railway complex of the Massy-Palaiseau station complex. Two glass and timber buildings protect exiting travellers from the underground platforms to the flyover, an open-air footbridge over the tracks undertaken by Arep.

The Champigny maintenance depot and railway yards on Line 15 are under construction; earthworks for the 400m long building that integrates copper north lights on a 2ha green roof; 180€ million - completion expected 2022 under the supervision of Patrick Rochard, while Jean-Christophe Peretti oversees the T9 construction that will link the Porte de Choisy to Orly in 2020. Construction cost 200€ million! A daring gesture - a pedestrian footbridge on the ring road and 5ha lawn where the tramway will run.

Four excellent results in recent months:
• La Roche-sur-Yon - we were recently declared winners for the reconstruction of the Town Hall block project which integrates a Napoleonic museum with the community centre developed inside the former 1st Empire tribunal. Major element of the project: a new, unifying facade framed with precision by light-coloured concrete panels, crowned with a lightweight glazed structure.
Budget 17€ million for an operation undertaken in association with Chartier-Corbasson (in charge of the museum project).

• Toulouse - we won the tender call for the project management of the entirely underground, central section of the third metro line. Member of the Systra/Arcadis/Richez_Associés/Taillandier/Séquences consortium, we undertake the architectural coordination of the line and the design of 4 stations including Marengo Matabiau, connected to its eponymous train station. Design studies start immediately, for completion in 2025..

• Choisy-le-Roi - in consortium with Egis, we have been appointed to design the T Zen 5 maintenance depot, for which we are also project manager with Artelia. Five north lights surmount the workshop to project an urban landmark, the entrance to Ville de Choisy. We intend to abundantly plant the railway yard that will stable 26 bi-articulated electric buses.

• Sissone - the army confides us with the design of a commissioning/decommissioning zone for the 250 armoured vehicles and 1,000 men participating together in electronically guided combat exercises. Construction cost 22€ million – anthracite grey sheet metal and timber buildings to express the image of precision and modernity of a facility to accommodate armies from across the world.

Also, several of our proposals are under review: on the Saussaies site in Cachan, the operation includes a business centre and hotel overlooking the Bièvre Valley hillside; in Reunion, a bioclimatic municipal administrative centre at Saint-Pierre - beautiful views of the Indian Ocean from the penthouse restaurant; and in Caen, within the Palais Fontette which houses the tribunal, a project for an hotel and convention centre. Results are eagerly awaited, and we’ll keep you informed - of course!

Richez_Associés 
2 rue de la Roquette / 75011 Paris
tél. : +33 (0)1 43 38 22 55
www.richezassocies.com