An urban redevelopment project will transform Porte de Montreuil from a suburban lot into a zero-emissions neighborhood, powered by clean energy and built with biomaterials.
by Marco Muggiano
The Porte de Montreuil is a strategic entrance to Paris, although it is not exactly an urban attraction. Now, within a few years, an extraordinary redevelopment project intends to project it (work is about to begin and, with a budget of 103 million euros, it will hopefully be completed by 2029) into an example of green intervention, transforming it into a new sustainable neighborhood, with a mix of solutions capable of cutting total emissions by 85 percent.
Meanwhile, a 3.5-hectare plaza dedicated to pedestrians and cyclists will be built on what is now the busy Porte de Montreuil roundabout (cars will pass underneath, along with the new metro line, before being redirected to a new ring road).
The green areas will cover more than 7,000 square meters of the new neighborhood, with play areas and gardens with seasonal and local trees and plants, so as to recreate small, self-sustaining ecosystems. The project involves on-site geothermal and photovoltaic power generation to supply the entire district, which is also capable of creating coolness with small oases, lowering the temperature by up to three degrees during heat waves.
Particular attention will be paid to the choice of building materials. 100 percent of the façades of new buildings will use materials of organic origin, such as terracotta and hemp bricks. 80 percent of the superstructure will be made of French laminated wood and stone. In short, favoring raw materials from the Paris metropolitan area.
Lastly, the Porte de Montreuil flea market, which has occupied a large open-air parking lot between the avenue du Professor André Lemierre and the ring road for decades, will move to an enclosed building in 2027 to accommodate bargain hunters, sheltered from the cold and elements.