Renovation of the Magasins généraux & La Villette

As you walk along the la Villette canal basin it is difficult to miss the two buildings that define its extremities.
The Magasins géneraux were built between 1845 and 1853 and stored grain and flour until a fire broke out.

In 2001 the Paris City Council set about their reconversion. The project should be finished in early 2008. The building on quai de Loire already houses a student residence with 165 rooms, 37 artists’ workshops, a restaurant and an exhibition space. Opposite, the exterior appearance of the building has been retained so as not to break the symmetry, and the reconstruction project is part of a High Quality Environmental (HQE) plan: use of renewable raw materials, highly-effective thermal insulation and sun protection standards, as well as a system to produce energy that associates solar captors and the recuperation of rainwater. This building will house an Express by Holiday Inn hotel, an accommodation centre for young people Christopher’s Inn, a car park and a restaurant.

The rehabilitation of the buildings is part of a wider project to develop and enhance the la Villette basin, and
includes notably the opening of MK2 cinemas, the restaurant 25°Est, the renovation of place de la Bataille-de-
Stalingrad, the reconversion of the rotonde de Ledoux, and the project for a marina. So, this once prosperous and subsequently run-down area is in the process of becoming an attractive and trendy place, for both residents and visitors.