ANIMATE THE PUBLIC SPACE

Tablesquare, located on the Esplanade de la Défense, is a place dedicated to gastronomy. Composed of three independent buildings, each is located partly above and below the slab level. Accommodating restaurants, lounges and commercial spaces, they take advantage of lower level patios created by the partial removal of the slab to give light to generous spaces, bright and protected from the noisy activity of the esplanade. The removed portion of the slab makes it possible to visually link the towers and the “under slab” of La Défense. This program responds to a twofold challenge: to create a restaurant offer of quality, and to demonstrate that it is possible to make the most of the forsaken spaces under the slab (former parking lots). Moreover, the project results from the long feasibility study carried out on tens of thousands of square metres currently unused in the business district basement. The project is a manifesto of the re-use of neglected spaces. By reusing abandoned parking lots under the slab, the project avoided the emission of about 600 tons of carbon equivalent. This choice of location presents major challenges: a limited allowed overload of the slab and reduced available clear heights.

Rethinking The Future Awards 2021
Second Award |  Hospitality (Built)

©Epaillard + Machado

Through large glass facades, the interior spaces contribute to the animation of the square, to the spectacle of the square and attract the eye. The activity of the restaurants, staged, reflects a domestic scale that contrasts with that of the towers lining the esplanade. From the inside, the large openings in truncated “cones” frame the views of the major elements of the site – Grande Arche, skyline of the towers – offering a new perspective on the esplanade of La Défense.

©Epaillard + Machado

The exceptional character of the main building is expressed as much by the activities it hosts as by the sculptural character of its envelope. The fine work of folds and origami testifies to a search for pure and abstract form that frees itself, in appearance, from all constructive contingencies. The fine and sharp edges of the project suggest a precious image of a jewel case, underlined by the materials. This edifice, visible at a good distance, plays a role of calling, and constitutes the signal of the project.

©Epaillard + Machado

REDEFINE A PLACE

The project is an opportunity to redefine the place, to constitute a new type of public space at La Défense. Place Agam is a totally distended public space in which one does not stop. The project aims to hold a place, at the scale of its use. More than an isolated signal building, it is an urban ensemble made up of three pure prisms, using the same principles of architectural composition, and creating a place of identity in the heart of the district: a real public square, a slowing down of the major historical axis. A precise composition allows the place and scales of each element to be adjusted.  The volumes respond to each other and give rise to new points of view that were previously undetectable.