Ever wondered what living on a ship would be like? If you reside in Paris, your wish might just come true. Tokyo-based Sou Fujimoto Architects and France’s Manal Rachdi OXO Architects have recently won a competition for their stunning ship-shaped residential complex design. To be constructed in the Pershing region of Paris, the spectacular tree-topped structure looks like a giant glass ship.
Winner of this year’s “Réinventer Paris” (or ‘Reinventing Paris’) contest, the project, titled “Mille Arbres” (which means ‘thousand trees’), envisions an expansive green complex right in the middle of the city’s Boulevard Périphérique. According to the architects, the structure will be home to a combination of flats and social housing units, in addition to a community center, a kindergarten and verdant play areas specially for kids.
Described as an “inhabited natural ecosystem”, the triangular building will be covered almost entirely with trees; a feature that the developers hope will help reintroduce greenery and biodiversity to the otherwise barren, urban neighborhood of Paris. The plan is one of 75 designs that have been selected from a total of 800 entries for 23 different sites.
Other finalists in the competition include Rem Koolhaas-founded OMA working with Gecina, Ferrier / Chartier Dalix associated with French financial company BNP Paribas, and 3xn / Mars working alongside Unibail / Bouygues Immobilier.
To know more about the Milli Arbres project, head over to the official websites of Manal Rachdi OXO Architects and Sou Fujimoto Architects.