Architects:Collectif Parenthèse

Area:1500m²

Year:2023

Photographs:TimeBox Prod

Design Office:Collectif Parenthèse

Sponsors:Base Paysage / Métropole de Montpellier

City:Montpellier

Country:France

Text description provided by the architects. The Arceaux district in Montpellier is highly representative of the quality of life that reigns in the suburbs close to the historic city center. Its market, its shops, its cafes, its architectural heritage and its schools make it an ideal space for the development of children. The only downside: it is an unclear public space that poorly delimits motorized travel from soft mobility with, in its center, a gigantic open-air car park.

The renovation of the public space, proposed by the Base landscape agency, responds to this problem by associating the theme of “the city at child height” in order to connect the city center to the Arceaux district.

As a prefiguration of these developments, the Collectif Parenthèse is offering a temporary entertainment space to allow a gradual transformation of public spaces by giving pride of place to children: a class "outside the walls" with a bleacher and two large tables on the forecourt of the Chaptal and Jeanne d'Arc schools, swings, a motor skills course for the little ones, a dancing mirror, a misting area, a mini pétanque or molky court and large picnic tables.

In order to respect the logic of circular economy, these modules are mountable/dismountable, storable and reusable. They will then be able to integrate outdoor events, and festivals, or even be collected from schoolyards. A big thank you to the Métropole de Montpellier and the SA3M, to FZR Sethi for his magnificent fresco on the ground along the installations, and to the collective Ne Rougissez Pas for the graphics of the triangle panels in consultation with the educational community and co-created with the children from Chaptal and Joan of Arc schools.

Project gallery

Project location

Address:Montpellier, France