Europa City By BIG

Europa City will offer, on an unprecedented scale, a mix of retail, culture and
leisure around a defining theme: Europe, its diversity, its urban experiences
and its cultures. Rather than orienting Europa City towards the highway,
we propose to integrate it as the natural center of a new business district.
We propose an urban form that combines dense city with open landscape,
exploring the urban and green potentials of the site at once. We propose
a commercial city that becomes a gathering point for the surrounding
neighborhoods– a new kind of commercial center that is blended into the
urban texture, and includes rather than excludes the surrounding city.

The programs of Europa City are organized along an internal boulevard with
a mix of retail, entertainment and cultural programs on both sides. The
boulevard forms a continuous loop traveling through six different areas
themed as the various regions of Europe. The central boulevard becomes the
Ramble, the Regent Street and the Champs-Élysées of Europa city. Along
the boulevard, public bicycles and electric public transport bring visitors
quickly around. The circular street creates at the same time surprising spatial
experiences and a clear overview - It allows you to get lost, and still find your
way.

PROJECT: Europa City
CLIENT: Groupe Auchan
COLLABORATORS: Base; Transsolar; Tess; Transitec
SIZE: 80 Ha
LOCATION: Paris, FR
STATUS: In progress
PARTNER IN CHARGE: Bjarke Ingels, Andreas Klok Pedersen
PROJECT LEADER: Joao Albuquerque, Gabrielle Nadeau
TEAM: Maren Allen, David Tao, Salvador Palanca, Marcos Bano, Lucian Racovitan, Ryohei Koike,     
            Carnille Crepin, Elisa Wienecke, Lena Regal, Paolo Venturella, Tiina  Liisa Juuti, Jeff Mikolajewski

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Amphibious garden cleaning european waterways

Physalia is an innovative scientific architectural vessel prototype that aims to meet the need of new generation floating purification station in order to sensitize the population with sulpher and carbon free ecological tools. This amphibious vessel concept is a half earthly and half aquatic floating agora that not only deals with ecology by saving water, but also elaborates strategic solutions to sentient the fluvial network. With its various functional features, this vessel not only contributes the environment by saving water, refilling ground waters, controlling domestic, industrial and rainwater recycling, purifying agriculture pollutions (nitrates, plant health), desalinating sea water and many more, but also promotes the waterways as fluvial tourism and commercial transport, water sports, agriculture irrigation, hydro-electricity production, protection against floods, and many more.

The bionic structure of this self sufficient vessel in energy is inspired from the pneumatophorous, which means “water bubble” and combines the nature and biotechnologies to navigate on the key extra-European rivers. The eco-designed zero carbon emission architecture is based on renewable energies, which means generating more energy than it consumes. The roof is featured with a double pneumatic membrane with smooth photovoltaic solar cells and the hydro-turbines under the hull transform the energy of the fluvial flow in hydro-electricity. The aluminum surface covers the multi-hull steel structure that reacts to the ultraviolet rays to decrease the water pollution. In fact, Physalia is not only a self cleaning vessel, but also it is able to absorb and recycle the carbon and chemical waste of the fluvial water through photo-catalytic effect.

The Physalia interior is featured with four thematic gardens that symbolize their dedicated typical aspects. The Water garden welcomes the boarders at the entrance placed between the square and the berthing gates. The surface of the area can be opened totally to amalgamate with the fluvial landscape and allow the vessel to breath with the calming fluvial breeze. The center of the concept features the Earth garden, a dedicated laboratory for the international researchers to investigate the aquatic ecosystem. A planted vault is placed on the top of this panoramic room that acts as a fertile metaphor to perform molecular analysis. The Fire garden is an underwater lounge with a huge fire timbale surrounded by soft relaxing armchairs where the passengers can enjoy the golden reflections of the fire. Finally, the Air garden is an ecologic amphitheatre with lots of light and oxygen opened towards the external landscape. A theater stage like circular shaped rotating water bar is the key attraction of this area where the passengers can find the H2O acronym.
Designer : Vincent Callebaut Architectures

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