Centre commercial Coupole

The former Coupole shopping centre in the Coupole-Regnault district is currently being renovated. The Curvevois district is a mixed-use area with housing, offices and shops. It is this functional mix that characterises the district. It is also unique in that it is half built on slabs (housing iconic office buildings such as the Areva and Total towers), and half on natural ground level, creating a link with the urban fabric of the town of Courbevoie. It is therefore both a unique and strategic space, a link between the business district and its urban environment.

A number of projects have been developed in this sector over the last few years. These include predominantly office projects such as the Trinity tower and the Latitude building, as well as new transport infrastructure (extension of the T2 tramway, in service since 2012, and extension of the RER E "Eole", due to come into service in 2024, with a station located under the Cnit). Public spaces have also been improved, with the recent completion of the Place Louise Pikovski at the foot of the Trinity tower, the redevelopment of the Carrefour Leclerc and the creation of the Olympe de Gouges forecourt at the foot of the Latitude building. Under the slab, another project has just been completed in the former Coupole shopping arcade.

A former shopping arcade under the slab

In the middle of this district, hidden beneath the Jean Millet slab and barely visible to local residents, is a former shopping mall, La Coupole. Closed for several years because it no longer met safety standards, it has been the subject of clearance and asbestos removal work over the last few months, with a view to giving it a new lease of life.

Opened in the mid-1970s, the gallery was built over three levels of car park at the foot of the Areva, Total and CB3 towers. Around 20,000 people used to visit the gallery until it was closed for safety reasons in 2010. The presence of asbestos and the obsolescence of the fire detection system meant that the gallery had to be closed in order to carry out the necessary work. It would not have been possible to carry out the work safely while maintaining commercial activity, as asbestos removal requires the entire area to be confined by watertight tarpaulins to prevent the dispersion of fibres. In addition, a major land acquisition project had to be undertaken so that Paris La Défense could acquire full ownership of this shopping arcade. This long-term project (more than 10 years) has enabled the establishment to launch work in 2022.

After asbestos removal and cleaning, a new future for the shopping arcade

As part of its strategy to redevelop the sub-slab areas, Paris La Défense is carrying out studies with the Plateau urbain design office to imagine the installation of new occupants to liven up the Coupole- Regnault district while awaiting an overall redevelopment project.

The schedule is as follows:

• Q2 2024: launch of a call for tenders to liven up the Coupole centre.
• From 2025 onwards and for several years, the Coupole centre will be able to host different programmes as part of a transitional management approach.

The next consultation will involve offering operators the opportunity to occupy the 14,000 m² SU of this former shopping mall, spread over 2 basement levels. The sheer size of the space and the ceiling height (around 4.5 m) will allow for a wide range of uses (leisure, sport, well-being, SSE activities, etc.) and a high degree of modularity in the spaces that will be managed on a temporary basis.

As the cleaning and asbestos removal work has removed a large part of the equipment needed to enable the site to accommodate the public in complete safety, it will be necessary to reorganise the equipment to enable the site to be used as an ERP (establishment receiving the public).

Did you know?

In 2020, 95% of the waste from this site (excluding asbestos) was recycled, i.e. over 100 tonnes recovered!

• 45 tonnes of scrap metal were reused in steelworks and foundries;
• 40 tonnes of inert demolition rubble were reused as fill;
• 19 tonnes of miscellaneous waste (wood, plastic, plaster, glass, paper, cardboard, etc.) were sent to sorting centres to be recycled in specific sectors.