Place Carpeaux

Built in the 1980s, the Place Carpeaux is about to be given a new lease of life. Paris La Défense will be renovating the square in two phases. The first phase of works will be completed in early 2024. Now it's time for the second phase!

Place Carpeaux in 2023, during phase 1 works © Air Images

Making the square a destination and a more pleasant place

At present, the Place Carpeaux is perceived only as a place of transit, with Caesar's "thumb" and taxis. It is a place of passage, of entry and exit from the Parvis, but does not have an established identity as a living square, a place of enjoyment. Paris La Défense has decided to make this square a destination. The reconfiguration of the spaces will create a revitalised, active place and improve the cohabitation of the different uses of the square.

The public spaces in Place Carpeaux are located :

• on the slab, including part along the La Défense forecourt and part around the CNIT and as far as the entrance to the Faubourg de l'Arche district.
• at street level (mainly route de la Demi-Lune, rue de Valmy and rue Carpeaux), bounded to the north by the Coupole sector, including the Division Leclerc crossroads.

Following the consultation held in 2016, the Place Carpeaux is the subject of an urban transformation carried out and financed by Paris La Défense in order to accompany the changes in use and atmosphere generated by the arrival of the Sisters towers and the new La Défense station on the RER E line.

The square will be levelled and new unified pavements will be laid to make it easier to access and thus facilitate the movement of people with reduced mobility while improving the comfort of use for all. Pedestrian and vehicle flows will also be separated to improve safety.
The project will propose plantings arranged in archipelagos scattered over the square, offering a new landscape while establishing free and direct pathways. Seats forming small lounges will punctuate the multiple pedestrian routes. Stainless steel furniture will soberly accompany the plant islands. The lighting will be completely reconfigured to redefine the space and create new atmospheres according to the uses.

As the gateway to the business district, it is intended to become a place of life and entertainment that will allow everyone to enjoy the new islands of vegetation, welcoming street furniture and future relaxation areas at the bottom of the towers and near the shops.

The challenges of the project

• Reconfiguring the spaces to improve the cohabitation of the different modes of travel
• Reconfigure the spaces to improve the cohabitation of the different modes of transportation
• Treat the accessibility of the square for people with disabilities
• Reinforce the presence of vegetation
• Improve comfort: benches, bicycle racks, clear pathways and climatic comfort
• Enrich the uses, including on weekends
• Work on the quality of the facilities: legibility, surfaces, steps, lighting

In summary, the objective is to limit the place of the automobile and to accentuate the presence of vegetation, to replace the ground coverings, to import a more complete landscape composition and to review the traffic flows.

Project timetable

The development work will be carried out in phases.

• The first phase will consist of works on the slab around the future exit of the EOLE La Défense Grande Arche station onto the Parvis de la Défense. The primary objective of the work in this area was to create a level walkway linking Le Parvis to Place Carpeaux, complying with PRM regulations and integrating the existing RER A "Grande Arche de La Défense" exit and the future exit of the EOLE project, which will be delivered in 2024;
• Work will start at the end of 2021 and be completed by the beginning of 2024;
• The second phase will consist of development work on the slab between the Cnit and the Les Collines de l'Arche building, as well as development work around the future Sisters Towers on the slab and at the level of the route de la demi-lune and the rue de Valmy, starting in 2026.

Development of the Place Carpeaux, looking east.

Users consulted in 2016

To design this urban renewal project, the developer organized a public consultation in 2016, with the aim of gathering diagnoses as well as the uses of the various publics. The opinions and comments collected helped the project designers create the future development of the square based on the expectations of employees and residents.

Several positive elements were noted by the users, such as easy access to transportation, the presence of visible and necessary cabs, ramps that offer fluidity of passage, distant perspectives that make it possible to find one's way, or even soft pathways made possible by the ramps and the presence of the Thumb.

Among the more negative observations made by the public, the following points stand out and will be addressed within the framework of the project: few green spaces, too mineral a space, degraded materials that are not very comfortable for walking, insufficient lighting, slippery ground, a passage space that lacks conviviality, lack of activity in the square, lack of conviviality, no place to sit.

The square will thus become one of the gateways to the business district from Courbevoie. This redevelopment should create a more comfortable, functional and animated public space.

Did you know?

The square is named after Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, born on May 11, 1827 in Valenciennes and died on October 12, 1875 in Courbevoie. He was a French sculptor, painter and draftsman.