This autumn, a novel spot will be unveiled in the underground car parks of the La Défense business district in Paris. The new space will be both unconventional and friendly, seeking to blend business and culture while unabashedly offering a line-up of avant-garde trends.
The 2,000m2 development will occupy one of the enterprise zone’s basement car parks to become a new setting where all members of the public can enjoy co-working, events, and exhibitions.
The new location was created on the initiative of three stakeholders: Defacto, the public agency in charge of running and promoting La Défense, Culture & Patrimoine, a firm specialised in promoting outstanding locations for events, and Indigo, the car-park operator of La Défense.
Marie-Célie Guillaume commented that “the world of work is undergoing a radical, transformative trend that business districts need to assimilate. L’Alternatif offers events and culture for all and a space for co-working and networking, while rewriting the sector’s rules. Where one expects to find partitioned offices or isolated cafés, we have created an unashamedly avant-garde environment that seeks to breathe life into the local neighbourhood, including in evenings and at weekends.”
Didier Gouband, founder of Culture & Patrimoine, remarked that “the architectural prowess, technical facilities, and remarkable line-up of L’Alternatif make it a unique revealer of trends and raw creative energy. It is an unconventional offer that is bound to inspire the world of special events and seduce the general public.”
Serge Clémente, Chairman of Indigo said, “L’Alternatif is a novel, pioneering space covering 1,600m² in the Villon car park. Through this new development, Indigo continues to be closely involved in renovating the La Défense business district underlining its position as an innovative player at the heart of local-community life and services of neighbourhoods.”
L’Alternatif is a 2,000m2 space that includes:
– A 480-seat auditorium that can be adjusted modularly, offering a 10m LED screen with a 3.9mm pixel pitch
– A co-working café
– An exhibition area filled with daylight
– L’Alternatif is located at level -3 of the Villon car park of La Défense
La Défense includes:
– 22,000 parking spaces, forming Europe’s largest off-street car park
– 160,000 employees
– 20,000 residents
– 17,000 students
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About Defacto:
Created through the French law of 27 February 2007, Defacto, is the public agency that manages the La Défense business district. It is in charge of running and promoting this public space.
It is made up of 26 services, organised in seven categories: maintaining and improving public spaces and property; ensuring the safety of people and goods; making it easy to gain access to the site; welcoming and informing users; leading operations in the business district; renting and developing spaces; and promoting and developing the area. Find out about all the services of Defacto at the website ladefense.fr.
On 1 January 2018, Defacto and EPADESA (the developer) are set to merge to form a new agency in charge of managing and developing the business district.
About Culture & Patrimoine:
Created by Didier Gouband, Culture & Patrimoine is a newly founded firm bringing together many areas of expertise (financial experts, architects, designers, set designers, design offices) with an agile financial dynamic. The company acts as an investor to detect, renovate and equip remarkable buildings. As a skilled operator, it is able to then manage buildings to provide an offering tailored to all members of the public in tourism (one-to-one, one-to few, one-to-many). www.culturepatrimoines.com
About Indigo:
Indigo is a French group and international leader in parking and inwww.parkindigo.comdividual mobility, employing 19,000 people in over 750 towns in 17 countries. It is the only operator present in three continents and in all types of parking: on-street, off-street, and private car-park sharing. Indigo runs more than 5,300 car parks worldwide, with over 2.1 million parking spaces and roads in excess of 2,500km in total length. Indigo supports both local authorities and private stakeholders (hospitals, shopping centres, train stations, airports, etc.) and develops car-park offerings tailored to users while making urban life more pleasant and fluid. In a mobility market that is expanding and estimated to be worth 100 billion euros in 2025, Indigo is set to be a key player in tomorrow’s mobility. Indigo. Making space for the future. www.parkindigo.com