The Village Square广场

La Place du Village – The archetypical public space of a French small town

Espace Libre: Breuil-Bois-Robert is a small town of 800 residents situated in the western countryside of Paris. The community wanted to bring new life to its central square, after the resurgence of young households in the town. The square, named Place des Tilleuls, had to get back to be a Village Square, an intense urban core at the scale of a rural town. After the competition, our primary goal was to minimize the parking surface, limiting it to a peripheral position. Thereafter, it was possible to design a park-square, with the aim to give value to the existing centenary lime trees and to open up the view towards the Vaucouleurs hills. The paths and circulations of the public space will cross the square from side to side, in order to ensure accessibility for disabled people. The structure of pedestrian axes define five main spaces within the square: the forecourt of the town hall, the exterior “parvis” of the church, the playground, the multi-sport field and the esplanade. This open space is especially interesting, due to the many ephemeral activities that take place within (open-air cinema, bowls tournament, concerts). The esplanade is used on daily basis as the main entrance of the local primary school and provides a calm space, where children and parents can take their time in the renewed urban core of Breuil-Bois-Robert.

Design : Espace Libre
Website: www.espace-libre.fr
Manufacturer of urban equipment: IJSLANDER – BEGA LIGHTING
Tree Nursery: Bruns Pflanzen
Location: Breuil-Bois-Robert – 14, rue de la Libération – France
Design Year: 2012
Year of Construction: 2015
Surface: 6500 m²
Budget: 680 000 euros

Image credits: Julien Falsimagne