Located in the heart of Ivry-sur-Sine, in France’s Val-de-Marne department, this operation is an example of urban regeneration of the kind that induces walking, keeps things near, and makes public space and greenery an opportunity for social cohesion. Creating farmland in dense urban areas, the 12-hectare project includes refurbished existing buildings and new constructions meant for housing, offices, shops, and facilities. With the collaboration of the sociologist Michael Silly, a one-on-one conversation was established with different members of the population, in a collective creation process.

The transformation is based on a circular economy. It harnesses 30,000 tons of material obtained from the selective deconstruction of the Cité Gagarine building (more than 90% of its weight). All the buildings, in accordance with their respective functions, will comply with very strict environmental criteria. In addition, concentrators of biodiversity will be placed in exteriors, prioritizing reuse of materials. Gabions filled with concrete from demolition, for example, will become insect hotels throughout the complex.

Acrocity Gagarine Truillot received the 2021 Spanish Urbanism Award given by the Spanish Association of Architecture Institutes (CSCAE).