Atelier FCJZ and Coldefy & Associates Architects Urban Planners (CAAU) were announced last month as the winners of the Fondation de Chine Competition that will add another residential facility to the historic Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris (CIUP). The project is part of #Cite2020, an initiative by the Cite Internationale to develop 1,800 new housing units by 2020. Adding to the existing 40 residential buildings, the Fondation de Chine will introduce a contemporary interpretation of student housing to the campus.
.jpg?1499812005 "Pavilion Suisse by Le Corbusier. Image Courtesy of Atelier FCJZ")
Housing a variety of academic buildings and residences organized by nationality, the CIUP was founded in Paris in 1920 as a space for students and researchers. The private park and foundation were conceived as a place to cultivate multicultural intellectual conversation.
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Over its almost century long development, it has been contributed to by notable architects such as Le Corbusier who designed the Pavillon Suisse (The Pavilion of Switzerland) in 1930 and collaborated with Lucio Costa in 1954 for the Maison du Brésil (Home of Brazil). Claude Parent granted his architectural vision to the Pavillon de l'Iran (Pavilion of Iran) in 1969, and in 1926 Willem Marinus Dudok designed the first residence, Collège Néerlandais (The Netherlands College).
According to the architects, the design of the Fondation de Chine will be a synthesis of modern Chinese culture rather than a display of any one particular architectural style. Including residences and a multipurpose hall, the building aims to be a venue for academic and artistic exchange. The project promotes the connectivity between indoor and outdoor space, seen in the stairs that cross the gardens. Chinese sculptor Sui Jianguo will consult on the landscape design of the project, which includes two interior gardens and a terrace garden.
The project will continue to be developed and completion is expected in the near future.
News Via: Atelier FCJZ.
