The transformation in four phases
The transformation unfolds over four phases spanning twenty years.
The first (0–5 years) opens the site to the public through temporary uses and targeted renovation, allowing the city to begin re-inhabiting it while initial decontamination starts. The second phase (5–10 years) carries the main deconstruction and decontamination effort, constructs the new workers' residential fabric, and establishes the underground parking. The third phase (10–15 years) builds the Magasins Généraux and Ateliers du Lac from salvaged materials and creates the primary landscape connections to the Seine valley. The fourth and final phase (15–20 years) completes the Grande Usine renovation and builds the Coopérative building, consolidating the site's identity.
The architectural expression maintains the industrial register of the site. Reuse is the guiding principle: steel structures from demolished halls form the skeletons of new buildings, facades combine salvaged and new brick, recovered wood and stone find their second use. New rooflines reference the iconic industrial sheds, preserving the quality of natural light and the particular atmosphere of the original buildings.