I’ll be eventually commenting on the Rize rezoning after all the fireworks, but I couldn’t help think of the issues being raised at the public hearing with respect to height and massing when reading Stephane Kirkland’s always-insightful blog on Paris.
In this post he describes Seine-Rive Gauche:
Covering 320 acres (130 hectares), it is, according to its developer, the largest development project in Paris since Haussmann’s time. … As opposed to what would be done in many places, the whole site was not treated as one project. It was broken down into six neighborhoods, each with its own coordinating architect, but with different architects and owners for each of the individual buildings. Seine Rive Gauche has the unity of having been all built around the same time, but otherwise there is tremendous diversity.
So while not comparable to Mt. Pleasant in that S-RG is a single brownfield site, it does have an urban form that many presenters to Council are calling for: mid-rise block as opposed to the point-and-podium tower.
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Here’s the nicely ironic touch:
The qualities of the plan have however been overshadowed by the debate about whether to allow, for this neighborhood on the very edge of the city proper, the lifting of the ordinary height regulations to allow buildings of 160 feet (50 meters) for residential purposes and 490 feet (150 meters) for non-residential purposes.
In the end, it was decided that this neighborhood should have Paris’s first high-rise residential building since the 1970s. The 16-story building is intended by its architect, Edouard François, to play an ecological role, disseminating into the city ecosystem types of vegetation that no longer penetrate it.
The Stephane Kirkland’s blog shows another view of the Rue Olivier Messiaen (below the picture as seen at the top of this post)…
this street is similar in size to Watson street (which is lined with building with a setback)…but as you can see Rue Olivier Messiaen is lined up by 8 to 10 storeys buildings.
…the building in the background is 80meter height (it is the French national library). it act pretty much as a compass for the neighborhood.
I could link to pictures on my blog, but the Stephane Kirkland’s blog links to
http://www.arthitectural.com/atelier-christian-de-portzamparc-quartier-massena/ which gives you a very good idea of the complete building form and density of the neighborhood…
sure no much highrise, (but still a fair share of 14 storeys+), but no 3 storey walkup either…30meters+ building everywhere…
That is the tradeoff…
…to achieve desirable density- I have read that the Massena district FSR is 3…that is including streets and gardens…of course 😉
(does the neighboordood is more prepared to that than the tower-podium?, does the market is wiling to buy?)
also notice that Paris doesn’t entertain anymore the Haussmanian ilot (which people seems to plebiscite in the Rize hearing or on Fabula blog), and french doesn’t count storeys like Canadian does -so what reads 16 storey in Stephane K. blog is in fact a 17 one-
and why Paris new limit height is at 50meters?
…because French code imposes different safety regulation to build higher, making building higher than 50m much more expensive to maintain…(so could need to go way much higher than 50m, to keep strata fee in check…something Paris is obviously not prepared to do…so it is the reason for 50m).
…All that is to offer perspective to the reader. That said Massena operation is very inspiring.
Did I mention that the neighborhood is articulated around a Viaduct ? (that is on my blog ;)…