Abandoned Parisian Metro Stations Reimagined as Pools, Theatres and Clubs
One Parisian mayoral candidate has big infrastructure recycling plans.
Those lucky Parisians with their high-speed metros and regular services! They have so much infrastructure, it seems, they might get to party down in repurposed metro stations that no longer serve the network. Lucky.
Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, a candidate for mayor of Paris, has proposed to reclaim abandoned "ghost stations" by repurposing them into pools, restaurants, auditoriums, theatres and clubs. Some of those metro stations — including Haxo, Porte-des-Lilas, Champ-de-Mars and more — were either never opened or closed during the 1930s and '40s.
Parisian architect Manal Rachdi, along with urban planner Nicolas Laisné, have begun imagining how these might look; but the prospective mayor has opened the floor to the public with a co-creative platform whereby locals can access plans and pitch new ones for the stations. It might mean a spot of trouble for the squatters currently inhabiting them, but both locals and tourists should be able to enjoy these new sporting, cultural and festive venues.
Not that this is an entirely unprecedented idea. Swedish design studio Visiondivision has plans to repurpose space beneath Stockholm's Tranebergsbron Bridge into a promenade, outdoor cinema and art gallery. And abandoned subway stations have long been home to underground parties in New York City. Regardless, none have stretched as far as Kosciusko-Morizet's proposal.
Manal Rachdi and Nicolas Laisné reimagine Parisian ghost stations
Proposed changes to Stockholm's Tranebergbron bridge.
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