Richez Associes

The exhibition "Tramway, the French school" that opened last spring not far from the office, at the Lieu du Design, has just closed and is ready to travel the world.
Curated by the RATP design consultant, Yo Kaminagai, the exhibition illustrates very well how France has invented and extensively practiced the tramway as an urban design vector during the last 30 years.
Obviously, we're in the lead with our 6 lines in service in Le Mans, Reims, Orléans, Brest, Casablanca and Tours - along with the T2 extension and T3 Macdonald sequence in Paris, and the Envol that links Toulouse to its airport.
While we take part in the Atelier du Tram, that groups most of the French tramway world and undertakes a concerted shakedown to reduce costs and develop the sector, all five continents are interested: we have promising contacts in Chile, Australia, Malaysia and also in a country that, after ignoring the issue for years, has just programmed15,000 kilometers... Of course, you recognized China which has always done things at its own scale!
Whilst awaiting confirmation of projects in one of these countries, Belgium and France remain our priority. Get on board and mind the doors for a review of tramway projects underway in the firm!

Together with Greisch, Transamo and Daniel Boden architect, for SRWT, the Société Régionale Wallonne du Transport (Walloon Regional Transport Company), we developed the preliminary design of 12km serving all the key places within the agglomeration: the stadium home to Standard Liège, the Guillemins high speed train station designed by Calatrava, the medieval center of the historical Prince-Bishopric and the banks of the Meuse so dear to the Dardenne brothers. Bluestone and maple alignments will inscribe the first dedicated tramline within the Kingdom of Belgium... as soon as the PPI awarded to the Mobiliège consortium with Alstom and BAM is financed in compliance with the prudential rules stipulated by Brussels, the Union capital.

10 years after the riots and most likely 10 years before the arrival of the Grand Paris metro, Clichy-Montfermeil sees the arrival of a tram service that connects the two municipalities to the RER (Regional Express Network). Studied in consortium with Egis Rail, the line ends with a 2.5km single track loop in the historic center of Montfermeil. Anthracite sheet metal furniture forms part of the urban regeneration program; the shelter walls decline it with planted textured perforated metal panels whilst the tramline will be planted with oaks, alders and wild cherry trees as if they'd escaped from the Bondy Forest. In service 2019.

In consortium with Ingérop and the RATP, awarded the systems and civil engineering, we studied a 5km extension beyond Athis-Mons. The feature: a curved tunnel spans the 40 metre drop in level from the center of Juvisy and the Route Nationale 7. 17 metres below the former coaching station parvis known as the Observatoire de Camille Flammarion, it integrates the station of the same name; elliptical in plan. It is doted with a chandelier in constellation designed with LUMINOcité, our lighting design consultant.
Preliminary design completed and detailed design to commence September.

The second Angers tramline will continue the strong image of the first line by Luc Davy. Tramway and traffic lanes at the same level are separated by a projecting white concrete edge, punctuated with black spray heads and central aerial utility poles. Within the horticultural capital, it will add exceptional landscaping with a tramway platform planted along 80% of its run and 700 standard trees along 9km of new roadway that will create, as a consequence, an interconnected network within the city center that provides 3 different transport services. After approval of the preliminary design, in close collaboration with the client and assisted by Transitec, Ingérop and LUMINOcité, we will document the development details in order to call technical tenders in early summer.

Along the 10km Paris Ivry, Vitry, Choisy and to Orly axis where, several years ago, we lost a feasibility study by advising the client not to develop a bus lane program, together with Ingérop, Setec and LUMINOcité we have just completed the preliminary design of the long awaited tramway line.
Our streetscape design asserts the perfect geometry of the old Roman road axis whilst at the tram stops, new street furniture developed on the guidelines by RCP Global Design (author of the Tours tramway strategy), will deploy the curves of liana which identify the STIF, our Regional Transportation Authority.

From Croix de Berny to Antony, to Place du Garde in Clamart, the T10 unfolds between the Parc de Sceaux, the garden city of the Butte-Rouge and Bois de Verrieres and through the forest of Meudon, a grand plantation project precisely sitting -along the forest route- grand alignments of elms planted along the Chatenay-Malabry royal axis, lindens like curtains in front of the Parc de Sceaux south facade, and oaks and dark pines in random plantations or groves at key points of the track.
The preliminary design will be completed this summer in consortium with Yves Couloume/Attica with whom we worked in Le Mans, together with Systra and Artelia.

contact :
Donald Christol / buildings
Marie-Claire Barré / urbanism & public spaces