Adaptive reuse as an alternative to conventional port typologies
Though the Port Seine Metropole Ouest aims to become a major logistic gateway located at the confluence of the Seine and Oise River, it projects to artificialize an entire site with a high biodiversity potential. Our counterproject seeks to transform the abandoned industrial heritage located on the banks of the Seine River into a series of embankments creating a port network. The goal is to showcase how adaptive reuse can help reduce environmental degradation by avoiding land artificialization.
Regional
France
Grand Paris Seine Ouest
It addresses urban-rural linkages
It refers to a physical transformation of the built environment (hard investment)
No
No
As individual(s) in partnership with organisation(s)
First name: Alonso Last name: Lopez Gender: Male Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: ENSA Paris Belleville Age: 27 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Mexico Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 117 rue notre dame des champs Town: Paris Postal code: 75006 Country: France Direct Tel:+33 6 49 98 60 06 E-mail:alonso.lopolg@gmail.com
First name: Jad Last name: Oueidat Gender: Male Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: ENSA Paris Belleville Age: 26 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Lebanon Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 28 rue paul fort Town: Paris Postal code: 75014 Country: France Direct Tel:+33 7 58 49 55 65 E-mail:jadoueidat@outlook.com
First name: Sofiane Last name: Mouri Gender: Male Please describe the type of organization(s) you work in partnership with: ENSA Paris Belleville Age: 28 Please attach a copy of your national ID/residence card:
By ticking this box, I certify that the information regarding my age is factually correct. : Yes Nationality: Algeria Address (country of permanent residence for individuals or address of the organisation)<br/>Street and number: 13 rue tronchet Town: Paris Postal code: 75008 Country: France Direct Tel:+33 7 55 04 70 27 E-mail:mourisofiane@gmail.com
PSMO is projected to become a cargo port in 2045 at the intersection between the Seine and Oise, turning a site with high biodiversity potential into a platform housing industrial warehouse.
The Seine riverbanks are lined with infrastructures that belong to the industrial heritage of the area that are either abandoned or underexploited. We began the study by an inventory over the Seine River banks, to detect which of the existing sites and structures have the potential to house harbor activities. Five sites among a pool of plots were selected according to the criteria listed below:
-The connection to the existing railway and highway, turning it into a multimodal infrastructure.
-The site’s natural to artificial soil ratio.
-The site’s connection to the water.
The selected sites will eventually become one port, stretching over 32km, reusing over 230ha of exploited land. The five concessions will be connected by the river and the railway, reducing trucks' carbon footprint. « Port Coeur Seine Aval » will convert and manage the port and the industrial areas reclaimed. The target is to occupy the sites and convert existing exploited structures as platforms to house containers/hangars, while taking into consideration the natural to artificial soil ratio. Industries such as Renault and Ariane will eventually take part of the port network as they are located on the Seine River banks, encouraging collaboration between different stakeholders. Port Coeur Seine Aval ’s generated revenue will be dedicated to reviving the landscape on the Seine Banks. The PSMO site will be converted into a space to celebrate the presence of existing species, by letting nature take over the land with spontaneous vegetation.
The intention is to challenge the potential of adaptive re-use as a mean to avoid excessive soil artificialization, while generating economic growth and providing a better quality of life for the inhabitants.
Adaptive reuse
Transforming existing land uses
Connecting with nature
Renaturation
Industrial heritage
« Port Coeur Seine Aval » is the counter-project of « PSMO », which is projected to consume over 80% of natural land with various natural species.
The study challenges the process of repurposing existing structures for new uses. The reconversion of the selected sites will help avoid excessive soil artificialisation , by re-using existing developed surfaces rather than consuming natural land. Additionally, the re-use of these sites will help reduce the environmental impact of building new structures by reducing the amount of materials and energy required for new construction. The proposed project will develop and expand existing river freight transportation, to make it more efficient and capable of handling larger roads. The proximity of the 5 selected sites to the railway and motorway will reduce the need for long distance trucking. River freight transport can become a sustainable alternative to truck transport.
Occupying the selected sites, the proposed project aims to revive the river banks landscape, by creating pathways to reconnect inhabitants with nature. Providing access to natural environments can help create and restore habitats for a variety of plant and animal species, which in turn can create opportunities for people to observe and learn from nature, especially in the PSMO site. Reviving river banks can also create new recreational opportunities such as hiking, biking and picnicking along the river, harboring a sense of ownership with community engagement. The intention is to create a healthier river ecosystem of the Seine, while providing opportunities for people to connect with nature .
As spatial practitioners, we explored the idea that a port, an otherwise landlocked infrastructure, could become a catalyst for economic development while reinforcing the sense of belonging within the neighboring communities. This objective is sought to be attained by treating the borders of the intervened premises to become accessible for all through the construction of scenic trails that contour the port sites and connect its vicinities.
Concerning the feasibility of Port Coeur Seine Aval, we studied the Rotterdam governing model and informed the design of the master plan by identifying the potential stakeholders (Electricité de France, Grand Paris Seine Ouest, Peugeot, HAROPA, European Union, etc.) who could eventually be interested in supporting the funding of the project.
Despite the PSMO projects’ ambition to connect the Greater Paris West confluence with the European Nord Range with the construction of the Canal Seine Europe Nord, it lacks a strategy to integrate the neighboring communities in its activities. This is why when designing the master plan we conceived several spaces for the local communities to gather. Such is the case of the Halle de Gargenville, an existing warehouse to be transformed into a leisure center for the city of Gargenville. The borders of all the intervened premises are conceived as landscapes buffers that would reduce the inevitable nuisances produced by the ports.
Port Coeur Seine Aval started as a collaboration between the “ENSA Paris Belleville” and the “Institut Paris Region”: an institution for the development and evaluation of public policies in the capital and the region. The key objectives were to elaborate strategies to revive the abandoned sites and renature the riverbanks of the Seine. We were able to benefit from monthly assessments from a team made of urban architects, geographers, landscape architects, and GIS specialists.
The implementation of the project at a later stage would require a dialogue between local institutions and European government authorities. The project explores new possible porosity and interactions between diverse programs and actors at various levels.
Port Coeur Seine Aval suggests a multidisciplinary approach of how to conceive the port in 2045. Aside from the needed expertise in transportation planning, logistics, and economic analysis, the implementation of port gateways in the five chosen sites requires sensitive attention to their impact on the existing urban fabric. The challenge is to find the right balance between the need to implement ports and the strive to create spaces that enhance the inhabitants quality of life. Therefore, a knowledge in designing urban spaces is required. Assessing the environmental impact of the site reconversion may be necessary before the property can be used.
Besides, the legal procedure for taking possession of abandoned property could require thorough understanding of the laws and regulations related to property ownership. At the final stages, we had the opportunity to work on a preliminary feasibility study with expert economists.
Adaptive reuse is often used on small scale projects. However, it was never considered as a tool to solve problems on a larger geographic scale.
The proposal showcases how adaptive reuse can be adopted at the territorial scale. « Port Coeur Seine Aval » can eventually become a model that can be adopted for other large-scale interventions. Additionally, Port Coeur Seine Aval questions the effectiveness of the mainstream port model.
While the PSMO project suggests the creation of a single-terminal port , we believe that having several ports stretching along the Seine river banks, with different functions for each , can be more effective. Coeur Seine Aval is composed of five intermodal gateway ports, differentiating itself by using smart port technologies that manage intermodal traffic.
Though the Port Coeur Seine Aval proposes a rather specific program in a very particular context such as the confluence of the Seine and Oise Rivers in the Greater Paris Region, it is key to understand adaptive reuse as an emerging methodologic tool in design that could be assessed favorably be in terms of reproductivity and replicability. The importance relies on the approach that acting at the local scope can impact a larger scale to attain key sustainability goals such as environmental renovation by reducing the artificialization of soil.
According to the territorial diagnosis of the GPS&O PLUi, the strategic location of the project takes advantage of the freight traffic to the port of Le Havre. Its proximity to Canal Seine Europe connects the territory to North-Europe (Rotterdam/Antwerp). The intention is to promote river freight transport to reduce the carbon footprint. For instance, Centrale de Porcheville is a former power plant located on the Seine riverbanks. Despite its connection to the railway and motorway, Porcheville is today an abandoned site and secluded from the existing built environment. The reconversion of Porcheville to a hub for cargo and storage and its integration to the port network system provides a local solution for a problem witnessed globally.
