Research on Paris's Parc de la Villette Park Design

 After 1992, the park has become a long
urban/recreation/leisure complex that
has been described as one of the largest
discontinuous buildings in the world
and the first built work specifically
exploring the concepts of
superimposition and dissociation
(Rago, 2004).

 The Parc de la Villette is the one of the largest parks in Paris.
 located at the north eastern edge of the 19th arrondissement. (ADMINISTRATIVE
DISTRICTS)
 The 19th arrondissement of Paris is one of the 20 arrondissements (administrative
districts) of the capital city of France.
 Situated on the Right Bank
of the River Seine,
it is crossed by two canals,
the Canal Saint-Denis and
the Canal de l'Ourcq,
which meet near the
Parc de la Villette.


 The 19th arrondissement includes two public parks:
the Parc des Buttes Chaumont, located on a hill, and
the Parc de la Villette.
Parc de la Villette is served
by Paris Métro stations
Corentin Cariou on Line 7 and Porte de Pantin on Line 5.

 Paris has a temperate climate similar to UK and most
of the north of Western Europe. Because there are no
extremes of climate, the weather adds to the city's
charm, rather than detracting from it. Even rainy days
can be beautiful in the city of light, especially at night
when the lights reflect in the puddles
 Annual average temperature is in the lower 50s F
(roughly 12 °C)
 the July average is in the upper 60s F (about 19 °C)
 the January average is in the upper 30s F (about 3 °C).
The temperature drops below freezing for about a
month each year, and snow falls on approximately half
of those days.

 There are three broad general types of soil in the area
of Paris, France : brown forest soil, northwestern
brown forest variation soil and European podzol.
 The majority of soil in France was deposited through
glacial activity.
 Much of the soil in France is very fertile and
agriculture is important in France.
 The limestone areas of southern France are typically
free of soil that eroded and collected in valleys, and
large French mountains are stony and inhospitable.

 In north america parks on former industrial sites later became
known as brownfield parks
 The history of the location of the park prior to its designation (the
action of choosing a place for a special purpose or giving it a
special status ) impacted on the formal and spatial park city
relationship in a very literal sense: the basis for the park was
determined by multiple layers of urban history
 Repeated urban transformation from various historical periods
occurred on and around the park site over the course of three
centuries leading up to the park’s designation.

 Between 1700 and 1975, atleast five urban transformations of
the territory are apparent.
 The first period(1700-1795) saw the construction of two
arterial roads leading out of the city , which formed a catalyst
for urban development in and around a village known as la
villette.

 Second wave of development occurred in the early nineteenth
century, with the construction of a sixty kilometer long
diversion canal for fresh water suppy, the canal de l’ourcq, in
the la villette depression, and canal st martin, connecting the
lavillette basin to the seine in the north to l’ourcq canal
system
 The development of transportation over these canals
catalysed industrial and warehouse development along canal
routes including in the areas of the park

 A third period of transformation occurred in the late eighteenth
century, when la villette was annexed in the expansion of the city
from twelve to twenty arrondissements
 In the same period a new military defence wall was constructed
around the city.
 The site itself underwent a radical transformation in 1867 when
goerge eugene haussmann presided over the construction of a 40
hectare cattle market and abattoir complex on the site of the
present day park.
 Three large hall constructed held livestock during sales
 The largest of the the grand hall , was 240m long 87m wide

 The fourth period of transformation occurred in the early
twentieth century .the ramparts of theirs had become
obsolete and dismantled in 1919 and replaced by a ring road
around the city
 Metro lines seven and five were also constructed in this period
 In the last transformation before the park’s construction , a
new abattoir was constructed on the site of the old abattoir
building (the grand salle) and operated until 1974, when it
was converted to the cite des sciences

 At the time of the site’s designation as a Park in 1982,urban relicts from all five
periods remained on the site and its surrounds including an assortment of canals,
boulevards,
Motorways and rail lines ,
major buildings and
structures including the Grand Halle and its accompanying pavilions and
the converted 1960s abattoir building (the Cité des Sciences),
which the competition brief required be incorporated into the design.
 The park therefore , was not so much about the translation of an existing landscape
into an urban park, but rather the transformation of an existing urban area into an
urban park.

 The program for the competition filled two volumes and included
detailed descriptions of the elements and functions to be accommodated
on the 55 hectare site.
 The sponsors requested a huge number and variety of activities
distributed across the site within both a “garden city” and a “garden in the
city”
 The “garden city” was intended to be “the center of activity, shows and
experimentation” and would include facilities for sports exhibitions.
clubs., workshops, schools, and even housing.
 In addition numerous building on the site were to be retained , the two
largest to be renovated as a museum of science and technology and a
“music city”.

 The “garden in the city” was intended to be the center of “relaxation, of well
being of both body and mind”, in which nature would be the “guiding force”
 It was suggested that it contain a “subtle series of gardens that would abnegate
the nature-culture relation”
 The sponsors rejected the model of 19th century Parsian park as “exclusive and
irrelevant to city life
 The extensive list of gardens and outdoor spaces indicates their continuing
desire for the park to provide an experience of nature in the city
 Terms such as ‘pluralism’ (Pluralism denotes a diversity of views and stands
rather than a single approach or method of interpretation) and ‘innovation’
were used to illustrate the way the park was intended to make Paris once more
to the cultural centre of the world. In the process of reinventing itself as a centre
for cultural and technological innovation

 The object of the competition was both to select a chief architect
who would be in charge of the master plan as well as of
construction of the park’s key elements, and to suggest, coordinate
and supervise possible contributions by other artist, landscape
designers and architects.
 The chief architect’s role would depend on a strategy of
substitution
 The elements of the program were interchangeable and that
budget and priorities could be altered , even reversed, at least over
the course of one generation

 The park propose a strong conceptual framework while
simultaneously suggesting multiple combinations and
substitutions.
 One part could replace another or a building’s program be
revised, changing from restaurant to gardening center to arts
workshop.

 Deconstructive architect Bernard Tschumi invited Jacques Derrida to
collaborate with fellow architect Peter Eisenman for the Parc de la Villette
competition in Paris.
 In the Parc de la Villette, Tshumi and Eisenman proposed an architecture of
disjunction whose primary purpose was to upset the architectural
assumptions regarding systems.
 In other words, Tshumi attempted to demonstrate that complex
architecture can be organized without reference to the traditional rules of
composition, hierarchy, and order (Wigley, 1993).

 The Parc is designed as a series three specific systems.
 Tschumi creates what he called lines, points and surfaces and uses these elements as the
architectural vernacular to create his deconstructive program.
 However, instead of attempting to integrate these three systems together as a cohesive and
unified architecture, he instead superimposes each one of them so that they distort and clash
with one another.

 This “weakening” of architecture, as Tschmi
calls it, is an altered relationship between
structure and image and structure and skin
(Papadakis, 1988).
 Therefore, the final form becomes merely a
pathway for new forms (bodies) to exist within
them. The park was divided using a rectangular
grid consisting of lines placed at intervals of 120
meters. On top of this grid a series of points,
lines and surfaces were superimposed to create
the form that exists today.
 Central to the design were ideas about the
allocation of space and form on the site. These
were based on Tschumi’s use of what he
described as ‘programmatic deconstruction’
which involved the dismantling of the
conventional ideas of architecture

 Diagram 1 shows a simple representation of the distribution of space on the site
showing a proportion of ‘building’ to a proportion of ‘covered area’ to a proportion of
‘open space’.
 Diagram 2 these three parts undergo a process that Tschumi calls ‘explosion’,
‘fragmentation’, and ‘deconstruction’
 Diagram 3 is a ‘re-composition’ of the elements
 The re-composition of the three elements takes place ultimately on the coordinate
points of a grid in varying combinations of building, covered space and open space.

 The lines of the park
are composed of two
major perpendicular
axes running parallel to
the orthogonal grid.
These form the major
walkways throughout
the park and consist
mostly of steel, and
iron.
 The lines give the park
a strong linear focus.
 A curved walkway
threads its way through
the park, intersecting
the linear walks at
various points.

 The Villette, like a rhizome, cuts and ends abruptly, but always re-
connects and never quite loses the ‘inherent logic’ contained within its
structural composition.
 This idea of cutting and re-forming is very closely related to Guattari and
Deleuze’s ‘rhizome’ theory, where they state that the rhizome is itself a
non-linear form, and it’s superiority lies in its ability to reconnect to any
one of its new lines even though it may become shattered or broken

 The next element of form in Tschumi’s design comes by way of the points (or 26 red follies),
which are based upon deconstructed cubes placed 120 meters apart from one another in a grid
pattern.
 A folly is a decorative element used in a garden however, in the Parc de la Villette, they act as
something entirely different.
 Folly : a costly ornamental building with no practical purpose, especially a tower or mock-Gothic
ruin built in a large garden or park

 Using the rules of transformation (i.e. repetition, distortion, superimposition,
and fragmentation) Tschumi has designed the follies without any functional
considerations.
 In fact, their only role is to create a matrix that work to organise the park and act
as reference points to visitors within the park (Papadakis, 1988).
 The follies themselves are associated with the philosophy of Jacques Derrida and
imply that it is impossible to define meaning in any form of communication
accurately because there are always many different meanings that exist.
 Thus, the follies, through their own lack of meaning, become Tshumi’s way of
displaying the ideas behind the theory of deconstruction since they themselves
lack any real meaning.

 The next formal element within the
park are the geometric surfaces.
Some of the surfaces are constructed
of compacted earth and gravel and
are more free and varied in form,
while others are made from metal
and concrete.
 Ironically, in Tschumi’s design for an
outdoor park, the landscape has
been removed from the picture
almost entirely.

 The landscape elements, formerly the most important aspects of
any urban park, have become the infill between the built
structures that organize the project spatially and functionally
(Tshumi, 1993).
 Therefore, the conventional idea of a park has been incorporated
into an architectural notion of a building (Papadakis, 1988).
 This dislocation of landscape transforms the park into an
expansive neutral space. Grass, earth, metal, concrete and gravel
allow for complete programmatic freedom (Rago, 2004).

 Tschumi’s Parc de la Villette is a conceptual framework for a structure that allows for
multiple combinations within the space
 The interchangeability and wide allowance for many diverse interpretations allow for
a future expression of the park never before seen in an architectural structure.
 The Parc de la Villette creates objects and spaces of continuity and discontinuity and
provides a location for all types of expression and activity.
 The disassociations and complexities of layering three disparate systems together
(lines, points and surfaces) create a richness and a discontinuity that exists within
life.
 It does not create a form of idealism (as many parks tend to strive for), but rather
generates an honesty, a realism, and a true spontaneity found within the complexity
of our very own existence.
 According to Vidler in The Body In Pain, Tschumi’s Parc de la Villette is so
fundamentally novel in that for the first time in architecture, the form has actually
been turned inside out.

 The body has always played an important role in Tschumi’s development of the Parc de la
Villette but it has always been important to contemporary architectural theory as whole
(Vidler, 1992). The focus of the body in La Villette brings into focus many unique spatial
arrangements which create a park experience like no other.
 When describing the bodily experience of the Parc de la Villette (or within any other
structure) there is a fundamental understanding that an experience is basically the
perception of how one’s body is interacting with other bodies within the same space.
 There is also an assumption that there is no link between the perception and the action,
and that both are mutually exclusive. Further, models of thought have concluded that
consciousness of the body arises through interaction of the world at the same time that
consciousness of the world arises through the medium of the body (Merleau Ponty, 1962).
 In other words, much like the popular catch phrase of television psychologist Dr. Phil,
‘there is no reality, only perception’, and only by having this awareness, can one fully begin
to understand La Villette from an objectionable vantage point of a single frame of
reference.

This is due primarily due to the fact that the park’s ‘dismembered’ body is incomplete in its
formation and realization. La Villette becomes more of an experiential held that is open to
multiple interpretations, dislocations and associations and according to Vidler, is a body in a state
of self-acknowledged dispersion (Vidler, 1992). The Parc de la Villette creates many interesting
and profound connections between its form and how a viewer interacts within it. Justlike the
complexity of the physical structure itself, the perception of the body within the structure can
become multi-layered and quite complex as well.
 For Tschumi, the fragmentation of the body found within La Villette occurs basically within
three distinct levels:
 (1) geometric, in the separation of lines points, and surfaces, (2) programmatic, in the breakdown
between the relation of form and function, and (3) semantic, through Saussure’s theory of sign
(which explains the collapse of communication between signied and signier i.e. that the word is
no longer linked to the meaning) which is evident in the ‘follies’ that literally mean “decorative
structure’ and should have no purpose within the design, but instead are integral to the
understanding of La Villette’s overall concept (Tschumi, 1987).

 The fragmentation, rearrangement, and superimposition of
lines, points and surfaces create a disjunction between the
form and the viewer’s experience. By breaking down the
structure, Tschumi creates a physical separation between the
form and the body of the viewer. In this way, any bodily
experience has the tendency to be disjointed and separate
since the forms themselves recreate this effect.

 In addition to this, Tschumi creates new experiences and allows for new vantage points for a body
within the design of the program inside La Villette.
 By dismembering and reassembling the architectural elements, Tschumi creates an experience
similar to that found within the language of film. In La Villette, the follies are reassembled in
successive sequences and frames similar to a cinematic promenade (Tschumi, 1987).
 The idea of the body is therefore established in the park in at least two ways: (1) as a dismembered
architectural body, and (2) as the situated body of a cinema spectator (Ribero, 2005).
 The follies in La Villette act as the cinematic promenade and they create a sequence of controlled
visual fields which allude to the notion of a situated viewer or individual body in space much like
how a film uses a series of sequential scenes to create its overall effect on a viewer.
 The viewer can still be set apart from the crowd (and have a unique bodily experience) while still
maintaining visual connectivity (and having a global bodily experience at the same time).

 Finally, and connected to the cinematic promenade, time also plays an
important role in Tschumi’s connection to the body and its effect on the
viewer.
 Through time, Tschumi attempts at capturing the temporary and
spontaneous nature of “events’ which can take place within the park
(Tschumi, 1987). In La Villette, bodies in space have the ability to wander
from any path and create a unique and un-programmed ‘event’.
 By allowing for this ability to spontaneously create an ‘event’, La Villette is
much like the cinema.
 Spatially and sequentially, the architectural fragmentation of the
structure allow and capture the ‘possible’ and the ‘accidental’ within the
park and therefore create newfound ‘bodies’ from which to view
Tschumi’s ‘events’ offering new experiences within the park.

 Tschumi’s underlying ideology is that architecture has political and social effects and
that the ideal space of political transgression occurs at the scale of the user, or of the
body in space (Ribero, 2005).
 The un-programmed activities occurring in La Villette can be seen to generate space
physically through fragmented space, but are also being generated by space through
cinematic events in time in ways that are completely unpredictable.
 In other words, Tschumi creates a function whereby ‘events’ can occur even if form
and function cease to exist.
 By creating an architecture of unpredictability and uncertainty Tschumi opens up a
field of possibility where bodies can create spaces that can go well beyond
architecture.

 One of Tshumi’s main aims in his design for the Parc de la Villette was to displace the traditional opposition
between program and architecture and to achieve a reversal of the classical oppositions and a general
displacement of the system (Papadakis, 1988).
 Thus, the program can be in constant change according to need, one part substituted for another. In fact, one of
the structures has even recently changed from a restaurant to a gardening center to an arts workshop, and each of
these changes occurred easily while the Parc as a whole still retained its overall identity (Glusberg, 1991).
 The second main feature of the design of the Parc was to create an architecture which was varied and one which
inter-mixed different medias and art forms, something Tschumi called crossprogramming.
 Tschumi allowed the architecture and architectural elements to collide with non architectural elements from
different disciplines such as cinema, literature and other cultural fields. Tschumi felt no distinction between how
different disciplines formed spaces and recognised that space could be enhanced by the blending of each
denition.
 The distinction between structure (or frame), form (or space), event (or function), body (or movement) and
action (or narrative) could be blurred through superimposition, collision, distortion, and fragmentation
(Tschumi, 1993).
 Thus, la Villette is a space in constant production and in continuous change. Its meanings are never fixed but are
always deferred and rendered irresolute by the multiplicity of meanings that it inscribes (Glusberg, 1991).

 To gain some insight into how this deconstructive assembly was derived a critical and
aesthetic investigation at how Tschumi conceived of the Parc is essential.
 By looking at some of design submissions pre-construction and seeing how they
changed and were altered and comparing them to the final construction of the Parc, we
are allowed a glimpse into the process of Tschumi’s deconstructed plan.
 When comparing Tschumi’s design submission for the Parc de la Villette from the first
round (1982), second round (1983) the developed plan (1986), and the final version
executed (1991) we can see how Tschumi developed a technique and a system for
designing the park to allow for the scenarios discussed above.
 There is a conscious effort and methodology with how Tschumi has arranged and
altered his design.
 By eliminating one area and focussing on another, Tschumi was able to create the
perfect balance between minimal deconstruction and a loss of cohesion

 The objective of the initial
plan (1982, Figure 1) was
meant to abolish traditional
spatial hierarchy.
 Geometry was used to dissect
the Parc into constituent parts
that were separate from one
another and a conscious effort
was made for none of the
shapes to dominate the space.
 The ribbon design was used to
bring the elemental parts
together in an arrangement of
uniformity.

 While the space is consciously fragmented,
a unifying circular element is at the heart of
the design that unfies the space. Tschumi
also deliberately allows for non-activated
spaces at the north and south ends of the
Parc.
 Whether this was an intentional design
choice or not is unknown, but inevitably,
Tschumi allows for a more cohesive unity to
develop .
 Finally, all the shapes span approximately
the same amount of area and the empty
spaces reflect this area as well. There are
only four (instances) diagonal lines that cut
through and intersect shapes and other
spaces.

 In the second round plan (1983, Figure 2)
changes are made to allow for a
unification and an organized assembly of
parts while still maintaining a separation
of form and space. In this design, Tschumi
creates two long axes that run parallel to
one another
 and what might be considered a division
of horizontal space is actually a thrusting
momentum through the Parc to allow for
a connection betweenboth ends

 There is a minimum exertion of
geometry along the linear axis and
the shapes begin to work within
each other and are
 connected via the long linear
elements. The ribbon however
becomes more pronounced in this
iteration, as it gains momentum and
spills into each shape and now
becomes the main unifying element
within the design along with the
circle at the center of the Parc.

 In the developed plan (1986, Figure 3),
Tschumi’s design changes once again.
The new vertical emphasis gains in
strength and is not a
 subordinate element any longer as it now
relates to each of the other elements
within the design.
 In addition to this, the rectangular shapes
at either end of the parc are removed and
replaced by a new horizontal element
that cuts through the Parc and through
the main central element tying the East
and West sides of the Parc.

 The triangular shape is
lengthened and one end in
particular is used toconnect to
the horizontal line allowing for
a general widening of the Parc
space. The ribbon has shrunk,
and becomes the only organic
element within the Parc tying
north and south, east and west.
Space is still fragmented and
there is a complete elimination
of whole forms and shapes.

 In the final construction of the Parc (1991, Figure
4), only four elements remain. Each of these
elements are given the same weight.
 In other words, all the forms present are equally
important and not one becomes more signicant
than another.
 There is the strong linear element linking north
and south, the circle at the center the extended
triangle that intersects, and the ribbon which ties
everything together.
 With this last iteration, it is possible to see how
Tschumi has filtered out the unnecessary forms
and elements to allow for a purity in a design that
is as effective as it is minimal and effortless.

 When the four images are overlaid (Figure 5), one can gain a new sense of
Tschumi’s purpose and design intent.
 The final design contains much of the same information as the original,
yet allows for a clarity and effortless quality in its final gesture.
 Shapes are present, but are deconstructed and there is still a sense of
uncertainty and ambiguity in the forms and connections. More and more,
the composition becomes tighter, well-knitted and more harmonious.

 Although Tschumi’s work was meant to be read as a irregular,
haphazard and disjointed spatial arrangement, we can see
that even Tschumi had to unify and congeal his overall
design.
 Perhaps this growing unity was part of Tschumi’s original
scheme from inception, and conceivably after deconstructing
the program and forming autonomous systems, Tschumi
understood all along that the success of his plan and of
deconstruction in general, was in the growing into a unifying
synthesis of fragmented parts.

 Lefebre’s The Production of Space argues that space ‘in itself’ is neither ‘nothing’ nor ‘something’ until it is occupied. He
also states that the body, with
 its capacity for action is not merely contained in space but is capable of creating space through action. Similarly, the programmed
activities
 occurring in la Villette can also be seen to generate space as well as being generated by space in ways that are quite predictable.
 These programmatic items (which added up cover a surface area greater than the site itself ) give a spatial coherence to the park
and allow
 visitors an opportunity to identify, orient, and re-organize meanings within the park. The degrees to which these elements are
linked create a
 sense of totality and unication (even in a fragmented form) and create a connection between the elements of a plan.
 There are six main components of spatial coherence that can be distinguished within the Parc of la Villette. The rst has to do with
the level of
 access and approachability of the park, the second with the organization of the elements, the third with anchoring and the
connection between
 inside and outside, the fourth with openness, the fth through articulation and how volumes and spaces interact, and the sixth has
to do with
 the character and the meanings identied within the park.

 The approachability of the park is in most respects,
quite good.
 Two metro lines run from the city center far into
the suburbs, and one of these lines has a station on
the north side of the site, and another on the south
side.
 Ease of access is also related to the pattern of
connecting routes within the park. The north and
the south ends of the park had to be linked in
order to connect the most important attractions
(Museum, Grande Halle, and the Music Center),
and an east-west route had to link the park to the
city center and to the suburbs.
 Finally,special attention had to be paid to the
north and south sides of the site since they are the
‘gateways’ to the city (Porte de la Villette and
Portede Pantin)

 The organization of the elements is important because it gives
the user information about the functioning of the plan’s
elements and the connections between them.
 The most important functions are determined through the
programme and fixed (i.e. The Grande Hall), however
Tschumi adapts the Grande hall and the Museum into his
overall scheme.
 Tschumi’s programme prescribes that all the important
functions are concentrated together in order to guarantee
areas that will be animated even during quieter times.
 As well, Tschumi moves main activities and disperses them to
create a differentiated pattern of busy and quiet experiences.
Tschumi has adapted these two elements and interwoven
them to a point of equilibrium.
 After unravelling the programme, Tschumi uses a point grid
of small buildings which serve as anchor points for the park’s
amenities. There is clarity in the combination and relations
created while still allowing for ambiguity through path
systems that are implied and of a different character.

 The spatial context of the park is examined by considering its
position in to what lies inside and what lies outside.
 The design of the entrances on the north and south side merited
special attention. Besides being ‘gateways’ to the city, they are
also unique places of entry since they provide the transition
between inside and outside and become the main elements of
introduction into the park.
 The accentuating of the Museum in the north (through the
surface treatment around it) and the Grande Hall in the south
(both major landmarks in the park) are important spatial design
decisions with regards to anchoring the park within the city to
create ‘heavy’ elements within the park.
 In addition to these anchors, the zenith to the east of the park
and the music center in the south could also be considered
smaller anchors.
 Finally, the lined trees along the east side also create a strong
delineation of interior and exterior space.

 Spatiality can be considered by looking at how
the major landmarks contribute to the park’s
internal spatial coherence.
 Tsuchumi’s follies allow for a broad range of
area to be addressed, while still allowing for
pockets of space to penetrate in between
them.
 Openness is an important quality for a park,
since it becomes a place to look away from
oneself and to experience a continuity of space
and vastness.
 Tschumi also creates this spatiality through
his intentional concealment and revilement of
structures, widening and narrowing of spaces,
and concave and convex inclines.

 Articulation often takes the form of
dominance (where one element dominates
another in a simple hierarchy) and the parts
become all related by subordinating them to a
single dominant element.
 Dominance can be related to size, place,
deviation of form, alignment, etc.
 The Museum and the Grande Hall dominate
the park, but Tschumi allows for the addition
of his lines to become the major players
within the conguration.
 By making the lines the longest and most
continuous elements, they allow for the
viewer to be uninterrupted for longer periods
of time. Tschumi also designs the lines as the
tallest structures within the park.

 Character pertains to the degree to which a space conveys meaning
and is related to the coherence of its images and symbols.
 Not only must the park invite local use by daily residents, but it
must also create an international prestige and allure and be able to
demonstrate many different faces and yet still be a unifying
element.
 In Tschumi’s design, it is the follies which allow for the most
character.
 Their design, while consistently unique and distinctive all speak
the same fragmented and disjointed language encased in the same
red metal.

 The park houses museums, concert halls, live performance stages, and theatres, as well as
playgrounds for children, and thirty-five architectural follies. These include:
 Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie (City of Science and Industry), the largest science museum
in Europe;
 La Géode, an IMAX theatre inside of a 36 metres (118 ft) diameter geodesic dome;
 Cité de la musique (City of Music), a museum of historical musical instruments with a concert
hall, also home of theConservatoire de Paris;
 Le Zénith, a concert arena with 6,300 seats;
 Cabaret Sauvage, a flexible small concert stage with 600 to 1,200 seats;

 Le Trabendo, a contemporary venue for pop, rock, folk music, and jazz with 700 seats;
 Le TARMAC (former Théâtre de l'Est Parisien), venue for world performance art and dance companies touring
from "La Francophonie";
 Le Hall de la Chanson (at Pavillon du Charolais), theatre dedicated to French song with 140 seats
 WIP Villette, "Work In Progress–Maison de la Villette," a space dedicated to Hip-Hop culture, social theatre, art
work initiatives, and cultural democracy;
 Espace Chapiteaux, a 4200 m² permanent space under a tent for contemporary circus, resident and touring
companies perform;
 Pavillon Paul-Delouvrier, a chic contemporary event space for conferences, workshops, and social events
designed by Oscar Tusquets;
 Théâtre Parc-Villette, a small actors' theatre and acting workshop with 211 seats;
 Cinéma en plein air, an outdoor movie theatre, site of an annual film festival;
 Grande halle de la Villette, a historical cast iron & glass abattoir that now holds fairs, festive cultural events, and
other programming;
 Centre équestre de la Villette, equestrian center with numerous year-round events;
 Philharmonie de Paris, a new symphony hall with 2,400 seats for orchestral works, jazz, and world music
designed by Jean Nouvel, currently under construction and due to open in 2014.

 The Cité des Sciences et de l'Industrie is the biggest science
museum in Europe.
 Located in Parc de la Villette in Paris, France, it is one of the three
dozens Cultural Centers of Science, Technology and Industry
(CCSTI), promoting science and science culture.
 About five million people visit the Cité each year. Attractions
include a planetarium, a submarine (the Argonaute (S636),
an IMAX theatre (La Géode) and special areas for children and
teenagers.

 La Géode, The Geode, designed by Adrien Fainsilber and
Gérard Chamayou houses an IMAX theatre inside of a 36
metres (118 ft) diameter geodesic dome;

 Cité de la musique (City of Music), a museum of historical
musical instruments with a concert hall, also home of the
Conservatoire de Paris; the City of Music, created by architect
Christian de Portzamparc, is a museum of music and includes an
auditorium, a resource center and a media library of music and
dance.

 Le Zénith, a concert arena with 6,300 seats;

 The Zenith, a
nightclub
offering
musical
concerts,
designed by
Philippe Chaix
and Jean-Paul
Morel, is also in
the park.

 Cabaret Sauvage, a flexible small concert stage with 600 to
1,200 seats;

 Le Trabendo, a contemporary venue for pop, rock, folk
music, and jazz with 700 seats;

 Le TARMAC (former Théâtre de l'Est Parisien), venue for
world performance art and dance companies touring from "La
Francophonie";

 Le Hall de la Chanson (at Pavillon du Charolais), theatre
dedicated to French song with 140 seats

 Cinéma en plein air, an outdoor movie theatre, site of an
annual film festival;

 Grande halle de la Villette, a historical cast iron & glass abattoir that now
holds fairs, festive cultural events, and other programming;

 Among the 35
hectares of "green
space" are 7 hectares
of lawn.Parc de la
Villette receives more
than 10 million
visitors per year.


 The Cité de la Musique,
the City of Music,
created by architect
Christian de
Portzamparc, is a
museum of music and
includes an auditorium,
a resource center and a
media library of music
and dance.

 The Parc de la Villette has a collection of ten themed gardens
that attract a large amount of the park’s visitors. Each garden
is created with a different representation of architectural
deconstructionism and tries to create space through playfully
sculptural and clever means. While some of the gardens are
minimalist in design, others are clearly constructed with
children in mind.
 The gardens range in function; where some gardens are meant
for active engagement, others exist to play off of curiosity and
investigation or merely allow for relaxation.

 The Garden of Mirrors, le Jardin des Miroirs, contains 28 free-standing mirrors set among
woodland pines and maple trees.
 An unplanted area with 28 apparently random placed slabs all facing approximately the same
direction. When viewed from the park , this garden looks rather like a cemetry of large dark grey
headstones from walkway, but on entering the area , one finds the back of each mirror creating a
rather eerie dreamlike effect, with
trees and oneself reflected in the mirrored surfaces

 The Garden of Dunes offers a rolling landscape, pedal windmills and air-
cushioned areas for children
 This is a very creative and fun play area for children .
 The curves of dunes provide an interesting surface for children to play.
 The cycling windmills , loudspeakers and curved surfaces are the main
attraction.


 Jardin de la treille
 This area is laid out over eight terraces with pergolas for plants to climb through
 The effect emphasises the area as a 3 dimensional space.
 This effect is noticeable in other parts of the garden where follies and other
structural walkways elevate the design very firmly into 3 dimensional space

 Jardin des bamboos
 This is a sunken garden, 6 meters below the level of the surrounding park, with approx 30
different species of bamboos growing here.
 Three metal walkways allow one to view the garden from bridges and on can enter the garden and
walk down paths through the groves of bamboos.
 The out lined is curved and as in other parts of the park the walls bridges paths and paving
surfaces all show quite strong features contrasting with the structural curves

 The Garden of Movement, the Jardin des Voltiges, is a play-area with different kinds
of moving apparatus.
 The Garden of Islands, le Jardin des Isles, has a black and white marbled path which
winds through oak trees, conifers and pines.
 The Garden of Balance, le Jardin des Equilibres, has metallic kites hovering like
giant birds within the vegetation.

 The Garden of Childhood Fears, le
Jardin des Frayeurs Enfantines, has a
walkway broadcasting eerie music as
one crosses a forest of blue spruce and
silver birch trees.
 The Garden of the Dragon, le Jardin
du Dragon, is a giant, 80 meter long
climbing apparatus in the shape of a
dragon with a long slide extending
from its mouth.
 The Garden of Shadows, le Jardin des
Ombres, is an array of black and
white tiles.

 The Garden of the Dragon, le
Jardin du Dragon, is a giant, 80
meter long climbing apparatus in
the shape of a dragon with a long
slide extending from its mouth.
 The Garden of Shadows, le Jardin
des Ombres, is an array of black
and white tiles.

 One of the more unusual features in this park is the Argonaut, a
submarine, open to the public. The Argonaut has been around the
world 10 times. In 1989, it made its last voyage up the Orucq canal
and anchored its 400 tons in the Parc de la Villette
 At the main entrance to Parc de la Villette is the Fontaine aux
Lions, the Fountain of the Lions, created in 1811. It sits in front of
the old tallow melting warehouse, built in 1867, what is now the
Maison de la Villette, an Exposition Hall covering 1,130 square
meters.

 Since its completion in 1987, the Parc de la Villette has
become a popular attraction for Paris residents and
international travelers alike. An estimated 10 million people
visit the park each year to take part in an array of cultural
activities. With its collection of museums, theatres,
architectural follies, themed gardens, and open spaces for
exploration and activity, the park has created an area that
relates to both adults and children.

 The Parc de la Villette boasts activities that engage all people of all
ages and cultural backgrounds. The park is a contemporary
melting pot of cultural expression where local artists and
musicians produce exhibits and performances.
 The Parc de la Villette hosts an annual open-air film festival. In
2010 the festival's theme was "To Be 20" ("Avoir 20 ans") and
featured films about youth and self-discovery around the age of
20. In 2010 films were shown by American filmmakers Woody
Allenand Sofia Coppola as well as French and international
filmmakers.[3]

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