Expansion: Paris extra muros

Trapped for centuries behind its foliage - in the 1950s, the ring road succeeded the fortifications of the Thiers enceinte built in the mid-19th century, which were themselves modelled on the walls of the fermiers généraux before the Revolution - Paris is beginning to take a fresh look at its suburbs. For some time now, the towns bordering the capital have been playgrounds for companies looking for new space. This expansion of the business world is particularly evident in north-east Paris, in Pantin for example, where Hermès has had its many offices and workshops since 1992. This move has enabled the Seine-Saint-Denis town to gradually change its profile by attracting more diversity and culture.

This ambition really came to fruition in autumn 2012 with the arrival of Thaddaeus Ropac Gallery, Salzburg's contemporary art giant. "Thaddaeus Ropac was looking for a place to show his work where there were no space constraints, but many people discouraged him from moving into this former boiler works in Pantin, thinking that it would never work.It's a challenge," explains Laura Bertaux, the gallery's director. The gamble paid off handsomely: the site, which hosted monumental works by Anselme Kiefer for its inaugural exhibition, has been a success ever since. What's more, the gallery has also become a venue for festivities, especially during the FIAC. "We receive around 5,000 visitors per exhibition and have recently seen an increase in the number of visitors from 20 % to 30 %.continues Laura Bertaux. This removes the barrier, especially the mental barrier, that still separates Paris from its suburbs".

To convince visitors and give them more time, the exhibitions now last six months. Once on site, they can enjoy a pretty garden and a café that recently doubled as a restaurant. In addition, the gallery organises interdisciplinary events with major institutions such as the Centre national de la danse, as well as with the Ensemble InterContemporain in residence at the Philharmonie, which is within easy walking distance. "The town has already changed a lot since we moved here in 2012. An artist has been commissioned to dress the tunnel that separates us from Pantin town hall; shops have opened; the swimming pool, which dates back to the 1930s, is being refurbished..."The gallery's director also invites many schoolchildren to come and learn about contemporary art.

The gentrification process is underway. The BETC communications agency has just set up shop a stone's throw away in the refurbished warehouses of the former Magasins Généraux, on the banks of the Ourcq canal. While the 800 employees are gradually getting to grips with their new neighbourhood, a branch of La Bellevilloise, Paris's cultural and entertainment centre, and a vendor of unsorted fruit and vegetables have taken over the ground floor.

A similar phenomenon is taking place in Montreuil, on the edge of Paris, where major companies such as BNP, Décathlon and Ubisoft continue to set up shop, usually in green buildings or renovated factories. Between the millstone houses, a microbrewery and artists' studios, one of the largest business districts in Greater Paris has sprung up in just a few years, with a total of over 20,000 employees in 420,000 m2 of office space. It's easy to see why the Ici Montreuil art-showroom-restaurant, set within a vast coworking and collaborative creation space, is always busy at lunchtime. It's true that the bobo-bio concept, with a €12 menu designed by Michelin-starred chef Bruno Viala and opened in January, is a dream come true. Parisians included. And it's sure to liven up an area that has long been unattractive, but is fast becoming so.

HELLO PANTIN

The Landy-Pleyel mixed development zone in Saint-Denis, which was also unattractive from the outset, is working to make itself more attractive. Admittedly, it is still struggling to attract cafés and shops, but with the influx of new employees, things seem to be changing. This 35-hectare former industrial wasteland, which has already been home to big names such as Generali, GDF Suez and Arcelor, has a mixed-use vocation, with 500 homes already built. The site's good fortune lies in the possibility of the Olympic Village being set up there should Paris win the 2024 Games. This will accelerate its development. While the north-east of Paris has been a real driving force behind the revitalisation of the suburbs, the area around Paris now boasts more than thirty business districts where the head offices of French and international companies no longer hesitate to take root. According to the Institut d'aménagement et d'urbanisme de la région Ile-de-France, a business district is defined according to several criteria, starting with a minimum threshold of 200,000 m2 of office space. The site, even a mixed-use site, must also include at least 50 % of tertiary sector space. The Hauts-de-Seine, with its proximity to La Défense, has the highest concentration of business districts in the Paris region, with Nanterre Préfecture, Rueil-sur-Seine and Point du Jour in Boulogne Billancourt. Also in the 92 region, this year saw the opening of Crédit Agricole's 'Evergreen' campus in Montrouge. Designed to accommodate 10,000 employees on an eight-hectare site, it highlights the economic dynamism of the Paris suburbs.

BUSINESS AND CREATIVITY

And there's more to come to the east of the capital. Another campus, that of Société Générale, a site with 90,000 m² of office space, will anchor Val de Fontenay in its role as a business district, with the expected arrival of 5,500 additional employees. Also in Val-de-Marne, the Ardoines district, a 300-hectare site in the Vitry-sur-Seine area close to Orly, is set to become an economic centre of XXL proportions, with a total of 300,000 m2 of office space to house companies such as EDF, Air Liquide and Sanofi. At the same time, Vitry-sur-Seine is also positioning itself as a city of culture and creativity, this year celebrating the tenth anniversary of its famous contemporary art museum, the MAC/VAL. Just next door, in Ivry-sur-Seine, more offbeat artistic venues are emerging, such as the CREDAC, housed in a former factory, and the alternative concert venue Le Hangar.

The Paris-Saclay site in Essonne, further away from the capital but one of the highlights of the Greater Paris project, is already partly operational. It will soon become a key scientific and technological hub, built around some of the most prestigious educational establishments in France: École polytechnique, Institut Mines-Télécom, AgroParisTech, ENSTA Paris-Tech, ENSAE ParisTech, etc. The final handover of this vast campus should take place in 2018, even though line 18 of the Grand Paris Express, which will serve it, will not be on the rails until 2023.

While we wait for the new metro to arrive, what can we do to explore these up-and-coming but sometimes difficult-to-reach districts? The good news is that Cityscoot, electric scooters that can be picked up and dropped off throughout the capital, went into service last June, with a fleet of a thousand two-wheelers to be deployed until 2017. This is a new, original, fast and environmentally-friendly way of discovering the progress being made in Greater Paris.

NOTEBOOK

Galerie Thaddaeus Ropac, 69, avenue du général Leclerc. Pantin - Tel: 01 55 89 01 10 - Internet : ropac.net The docks of the Bellevilloise 1Place de la Pointe. Pantin ICI Montreuil135, boulevard Chanzy. Montreuil - Internet : www.icimontreuil.com MAC/VALPlace de la Libération. Vitry-sur-Seine - Tel: 01 43 91 64 20 - Internet : www.macval.fr Ivry Contemporary Art Centre (le Crédac), La Manufacture des OEillets. 25-29, rue Raspail. Ivry-sur-Seine - Tel: 01 49 60 25 06 - Internet : www.credac.fr Le Hangar, 3-5, rue Raspail. Ivry-sur-Seine - Tel: 01 72 04 64 25 - Internet: www.lehangar94.fr