ARCHITECTURE : FUTURE OF PAST — RETHINK THE PARISIAN HERITAGE

The building of the Compagnie des Notaires de Paris, located in the heart of the capital, is to be transformed: an architecture competition is currently taking place to this end. Due to issues inherent to concepts of heritage and cultural identity, the transformation of this edifice raise multiple questions going beyond the simple protective prescriptions emitted by the city of Paris.

The present ideas competition, created in parallel to the main one for the building’s renovation, thus appears as its imaginary double.

The question of our cultural legacy in the face of globalization’s dynamic sought to stay open to remain fertile: so, how do we conceive our future ways of living, with or without the memory and marks of the past, in the near or distant future? – In front of human societies’ involvement in a more and more virtual and technical world, and faced with the standardization of cultures and customs, what is to become of Paris’ identity? – As the capital keeps evolving through time, how can we approach its most timeless dimensions, its parts of myth, symbol and ideal? – Finally, how do we represent both future uses and our sensitive relation to the legacy left by the city’s architectural heritage?

With the building of la Compagnie des Notaires de Paris as a starting point, this competition will allow students to initiate a reflection on the future of Paris’ heritage.

For more information, go to: 

https://competition.bam.archi/cdne