The Beaugrenelle shopping center is a shopping center located in the Javel and Grenelle districts (15th arrondissement) of Paris. It is part of the Front-de-Seine housing complex, close to the River Seine and 10 minutes’ walk from the Eiffel Tower. It is one of the biggest shopping malls in Paris’ inner city. A mix between a department store and a shopping mall, Beaugrenelle is home to 120 shops and restaurants.
Beaugrenelle shopping center mix fashion with entertainment in the heart of Paris. A sublime Pathé multiplex with 10 screens and a center of 20 restaurants & gourmet breaks offer visitors many opportunities to go out. Marrying audacity and Parisian chic, Beaugrenelle is resolutely turned towards creation and thus invites many artists to express themselves through unique works such as the Grand Mobile by Xavier Veilhan, the cinemas designed by Ora-ïto or the restaurant Eclectic designed by Tom Dixon.
Window open on the Seine and showcase of the 15th arrondissement, Beaugrenelle boasts a slender and luminous architecture. In order to perfectly integrate Beaugrenelle into its environment and to provide a pleasant setting for local residents, a green roof of nearly 7,000 m² was created. Outside, the rounded curves and the metal mesh that enclose the footbridges give sensuality and femininity to the place, while blending in perfectly with the design of the surrounding towers. Inside, glass facades and atriums give the visitor a feeling of verticality, space and lightness. The glass, which lets in natural light, gives life to this unique place.
Several thousand regional plants have flourished on the roofs of Beaugrenelle and six beehives have taken up residence there. Bellflowers, artemisia, euphorbia, sage and santolina evolve with the seasons like a living picture with colors in perpetual change. This biodiversity offers a rich environment conducive to the production of honey.
A resolutely contemporary Parisian address, Beaugrenelle Paris has established itself as an essential place for shopping in Paris since its opening in 2013. Beaugrenelle Paris has become the setting for a collection of cutting-edge Parisian and international brands. Thus, the spirit and the environment of this place have seduced very prestigious brands such as Guerlain, Ladurée Picnic, Silvera… Easy-chic brands such as Hollister, Maje, Zadig & Voltaire… and essential brands such as Fnac, H&M, Uniqlo, Zara…
Beaugrenelle Paris is a mix between a department store and a shopping mall. Its three theme-oriented buildings are home some 60 dedicated fashion outlets, selling everything from high street to luxury brands. There are stores dedicated to women’s, men’s and children’s fashions, as well as lingerie, footwear, jewelry and leather goods. The mall also includes 10 stores dedicated to beauty and well-being products, 12 devoted to household items, and 14 that sell cultural and leisure goods. In addition, Beaugrenelle offers some brands that don’t usually feature in shopping malls, such as Guerlain and Baccarat.
The shopping mall also features 11 restaurants and 8 snack bars. A wide range of cuisine from all over the world, including Mexican, Italian, French, Lebanese and Japanese is available. A centralized tax refund service, free Wi-Fi, tourist information, personal shopper and hotel delivery are some of the services available.
History
Beaugrenelle Paris’ story began in the 1970s with the development of a new neighborhood. The first Beaugrenelle shopping mall, which opened in 1979, was an integral part of a residential complex built in the typical brutalist style of the time.As part of the Front-de-Seine urban renewal operation. Covering an area of 26,000 m2, it has 80 shops on 2 levels. By 1999, the shopping mall was in decline, consequently a complete renovation project was launched in 2003 by the new owner Gecina.
The architecture was largely responsible for this slow, irreversible decline. The neighborhood had been designed according to a utopian vision particular to France: in the 1960s and 1970s, urban planners believed that functional areas, such as shops and living spaces, should be elevated and separated from the traffic.
When the decision was taken to redevelop the mall, Apsys, won the competition. Located in France and Poland since 1996, Apsys, an investor-developer, manages a portfolio of 31 shopping centres and pilot 6 projects under development. Its project was to demolish the existing center, extend its perimeter, incorporate it into the city and bring it down to the Seine. Ten years later, Beaugrenelle Paris opened its doors on 23 October 2013.
Architecture
Designed by Valode & Pistre, a Paris-based architecture firm known for designing and building Renault Technocentre and Incity Tower in Lyon, the shopping mall extends over six floors. The mall’s main construction materials are metal, resin, double glazing and lacquered metal, giving the building a modern and futuristic atmosphere. Denis Valode and Jean Pistre wanted the mall “to fit in with the neighborhood’s architectural history, continuing the style of the metal frame architecture of the Bir-Hakeim viaduct and the Eiffel Tower, which are both close by”. Metal was therefore the obvious material for the latticing framing the building islands and enclosing the walkways. Beaugrenelle is the first shopping mall to have double environmental certification: HQE1 and Level 2 BREEAM (rated ‘Very Good’).
This department store with a view of the Seine is spread over four levels within the Panoramic block. Its atrium was reworked for the occasion by the architect duo Valode & Pistre, who were behind the construction of the building’s vast central atrium. Beaugrenelle shopping center unveils a mixed offer that juggles between discoveries and sure values, bringing together Men, Women, Children but also Beauty and Accessories areas, a Jewelery offer and a gift gallery. The bias is intended to be different, mixing iconic, desirable but also responsible brands, ranging from accessible to premium.
One hundred and twenty stores and restaurants are spread over 50,000 m2 of fashion retail space, divided into three buildings: Magnetic, Panoramic and City. The Magnetic and Panoramic buildings are linked by a covered pedestrian bridge, creating a gateway to the 15th arrondissement from the River Seine. One of the special architectural features of the Beaugrenelle mall is the exoskeleton walkway, an external steel skeleton wrapped round a glass tube. Its form is reminiscent of its illustrious neighbors: the Eiffel Tower and Bir-Hakeim bridge.
Light is present everywhere thanks to the glass walls and the blue glass dome capping the atrium. The two atria are illuminated by skylights, filling the shopping mall’s six floors with natural daylight. Each atrium is covered in a metallic glass roof which changes color according to the time of day and the light conditions, ranging from cooler shades during the day to warmer ones at night.
A matching blue mobile, designed by the French artist Xavier Veilhan, adorns one of the atria and creates a link between retail and culture. The ‘Grand Mobile’ is 15 meters high and was originally created for the Dynamo exhibition at the Grand Palais in 2013.
Beaugrenelle Paris is also home to a 10-screen movie theater Pathé designed by the French designer Ora-ïto. His approach was to engage the senses. The undulating lines on the ceilings and floors help to guide through the various spaces. Strong, contemporary colors, such as ‘Pathé’ yellow and gray are used throughout, and combined with natural wood. Ora-ïto also used white and yellow Corian for the ticket counters and service areas.
Sustainability was one of the main concerns regarding the construction of the building. Considering the risks to biodiversity in cities, the architects decided to develop a green roof. Measuring 7,000 m2, it is the biggest green roof in Paris. The roof is home to 40,000 plant species irrigated by rainwater, bees and birds, which benefit from a partnership concluded with the French league for the protection of birds (LPO). The bees are kept in six hives on the roof, producing 50–100 kg of honey a year. A 700 m2 community garden allows local inhabitants to take care of their production.