Former Renault Factory to Become Green Urban Center

The space left behind by industrial projects abandoned by developers can be transformed in amazing sustainable urban offices, commercial buildings, or other kind of facilities, due to appropriate funds correlated with eco-conscious values.

This is exactly what authorities have in mind for the former Renault shop on the Ile Seguin, in Paris, Treehugger informs.

Île Seguin (Seguin Island)is an island on the Seine river between Boulogne-Billancourt and Sèvres, in the suburbs of Paris, France. It represented the home of a Renault factory, constructed between 1929 and 1934.

If the current path is preserved, the Île Seguin residents could experience a wide list of expected changes, by 2017.

The no-longer used site would be converted into a green cultural center, where fine arts are mixed with business strategies, improving the living standard of inhabitants.

The main goal announced by authorities is to develop an amazing urban center, designed to offer up to 500,000m² of housing.

Sustainability is mixed with the care for those who are financially-challenged, since one third of this space is destined to satisfy the needs of low-income people.

The entire project also reveals that 250,000m² will be used to build office spaces, and other 250,000m² will guarantee that residents will be able to shop responsibly in eco-friendly stores.

The most important idea announced by developers is that the innovative “cultural hub” will be powered entirely by renewables, making its inhabitants and visitors forget about the supremacy of dirty king coal.

It appears that public green space rank first in a list of priorities. In order to make sure that the new center will comply with the current trends, demands and architectural standards, the developers asked the famous architect Jean Nouvel to contribute to this eco-friendly task. He is the one behind the popular green tower built in Los Angeles.

The construction is expected to start next year and be completed by 2017. If the operations go according to plan, the Paris suburb could become a high-profile neighborhood in no time, combining sustainability with environmental awareness.

Moreover, compared to other green concepts that display no real benefits in real life, on long-terms, the eco-friendly center is expected to change the mentality of behaviors while responding efficiently to their needs.