A park at the heart of a new development along the Seine River. The project designed by Agence Ter is the transformation of an almost mono-functional, industrial territory into a new mixed development fully integrated in the existing town, with the 12 hectare Park of the Docks providing an extensive open space on the banks of the Seine. This functional mix is inscribing itself into a metropolitan and regional perspective with the strong ambition to develop an ecological neighbourhood.
Description of project by Agence Ter. Saint-Ouen is a complex urban context to work in, as it is rapidly changing from its mostly industrial past. Social diversity is a great opportunity in the area and is something that is indirectly being addressed in the project.
The ambition of Agence Ter has been to create an inclusive and democratic space, welcoming the public, residents and visitors alike. The specific location, on the banks of the Seine River, brings to life the imaginary, creates a specific horizon and links the park to the theme of water.
The park was imagined as alternating hollows and solids, which materialize two types of place: spaces for nature and gardens for the public. This interplay between accessible and visible nature structures the park and its uses.
Nature is characterized by planted areas meadows or ditches , while the latter can be filled with rain water. A sequence of compositions, orientations and views of the distant landscape, of the city or the park itself. Valleys, ponds and large sunken surfaces gather rain water, highway run off and floodwater from the Seine.
