Atlantis – Grand Ouest – Massy, France

Massy stands at the center of a major hub in Grand Paris Sud. Christian de Portzamparc plans for Grand Paris were to identify Massy as a keystone of the southern rhizome. (Rhizomes are networks between urban hubs on the outskirts of the capital which largely escape the centrifugal forces long exerted by Paris from its historic center.)
One of the fastest growing developments in the metropolis, Massy is, with its train station, one of the three largest gateways (or “portes”) out of eight planned for Grand Paris as a whole. Every day, thousands of people living in the Ile-de-France region arrive at and leave from this major crossroads in the road and rail network linking the capital, the Île-de-France region and the rest of France. Every aspect of life at the centre of a very large town converges and will converge around the station and the future place of the Grand Ouest.
Our plans for this neighborhood are consistent with the urban planning review and revolve around the theme of streets and squares. The square is the physical center of the project. Christian de Portzamparc proposed creating a system of four large squares and one small square that follow on from each other, starting from the train station, rue du Grand Ouest and rue de Paris, to exert a fluid centralising force that spreads through and links up the neighborhood by interspersing it up with striking, appealing public spaces which are highly visible regardless of your route.