The European Union Square is the active center and heart of the western sector of Massy. The space is very urban, dense, and lively; life revolves around a large public space.
The project exploits its particular situation and creates a link between the two different landscapes: the city and the railway tracks. It consists of two buildings, so two programs, accessed through a common garden: a 121-room hotel and a 83-room student residence sit atop a continuous base of shops. The arrangement of the buildings is thought to open the garden on the square and create a visual breakthrough suggesting the railway landscape in the distance. On the side facing the city, the building façade is very solid and continuous. On the railway side, it leaves room for unobstructed views of the emptiness of the railways and shows a more contemporary face of the city.
The facades facing the street are made solely and simply of glass. Out of public limit, with colored metal siding, they " undulate" and create various perspectives with tones that produce a vibration and enhance the garden. They create a warm environment and they enliven the square as well as the side that faces the railway tracks.
Clients: Dream
Developer: Semmassy
View Original