“A cultural laboratory” — UNStudio to design EuropaCity's Centre Culturel cinema in Paris

UNStudio won the commission to design the Centre Culturel Dédié Au 7è Art cinema in the EuropaCity mega-development in Paris. Masterplanned by BIG, EuropaCity is a tourist hub that'll combine culture, sports, hotels, restaurants, urban agriculture, commerce, and recreation for visitors and locals alike.

UNStudio envisions the Centre Culturel cinema as both “a public space and a cultural laboratory”. Their concept expands the moviegoing experience in that visitors can watch a movie but also check out art displays, lounge on green rooftop terraces, and other social amenities. Read on for more about the proposal.

Inspired by the look of large landscape sculptures, the building's facade is made from weathered metal. The building comprises of three intertwined volumes, while its surrounding landscape continues as “a sloping green carpet atop the roof of the building”, creating public spaces for outdoor film screenings, restaurants and cafes, and 360-degree views of EuropaCity and the Paris skyline.

Upon entering the building, visitors are led through the lowest part of the sloping roofscape. From here, the space opens up into the central lobby. The three volumes of the building are organized according to film genre and then converge at the center of the building to form the foyer, UNStudio says. From the foyer, visitors can access the cinema halls, while also catch a glimpse of the moviemaking process on the level below, where the training and production studios are located.

“For the design of the Centre Culturel we were inspired by the ‘Cinéma en plein air’ culture, and we wanted to celebrate the art of film-making,” says Ben van Berkel.

The carved, tilted volumes were designed as such to maximize the exposure of the sun decks and minimize wind impact through deflection. “CO2 emissions are reduced and rainwater is reused, while thick vegetation packages on the park roofs insulate the building against ceiling heat loss, and mostly enclosed facades shelter the building from excessive heat gain,” UNStudio describes.

Project details

Client: Immochan France and Dalian Wanda Group

Location: Triangle de Gonesse, Ile-de-France, North of Paris, France (EuropaCity)

Building surface: 10,045 m2 gross floor area

Building volume: 75,540 m3

Building site: 7,641 m2

Program: Cultural center dedicated to cinematographic art

Status: Winning competition entry

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