Défense 2050

La Défense is at a turning point. Over the past two years, a series of studies and public and private consultations have highlighted the need to rethink its future. Faced with the obsolescence of part of its real estate stock, the end of the office-centric model and climate challenges, the district must transform itself. Following the Etats généraux de la transformation des tours (2022-2023) initiated by the public institution Paris La Défense, the district's main investors joined forces with a number of experts in 2024 to embark on a forward-looking project to imagine a more mixed, sustainable and resilient model and propose a strategic, urban and programmatic vision.

Atelier Franck Boutté participated in this reflection, notably by supporting the designers of projects coordinated by Atelier Soil as part of the urban vision proposed by the consortium, with a view to placing La Défense within a dynamic of environmental adaptation and transformation.

The morphology of La Défense exacerbates the local consequences of climate change: airflow phenomena, intense solarisation and disruption of ecological continuity make the area uncomfortable for everyone and harmful to biodiversity, even more so than elsewhere. However, this area offers tremendous potential for transformation. To assume the carbon debt it represents, La Défense must work with what is already there and thus minimise its recarbonation.

With a forward-looking approach, we have proposed repairing the ecological discontinuities caused by the emergence of La Défense. Our airflow and sunlight studies have led us to develop a network designed to optimise user comfort throughout the year: by seeking light and airy serenity in winter; by following the path of the shade, as the wind blows in summer.

From bioclimatic entrance doors to refuge hubs, the connecting routes weave an ecological and climatic network based on shading, evaporation, and perennial plants to promote natural ventilation and evapotranspiration. Temporary structures can complement the permanent installations to allow for the agility needed for seasonal changes.

This transformation is necessary both from a mitigation perspective, to contribute to GHG reduction efforts by avoiding emissions elsewhere, and from an adaptation perspective, to improve the comfort of residents and users and make the neighbourhood desirable.