RSHP wins Rives-Défense competition in Paris

RSHP’s multi-disciplinary team has won the competition to revive the prime site labelled Rives-Défense in La Défense, the business district of Paris. Announced at MIPIM on Tuesday, the project is set to transform the 8-hectare site into a low-carbon, mixed-use neighbourhood.

Led by RSHP, the winning team brings complementary expertise to the major urban project, comprising Atelier SOIL, Altitude 35, Arcadis, Atelier Franck Boutté, Urban Eco and Mobius. 

Rives-Défense presents a rare opportunity for transformative urban regeneration, occupying an exceptional geography located at the gateway to La Défense, aligned with the historic axis of the Louvre and stretching down to the River Seine.

Stephen Barrett, Director, RSHP, said: “Rives-Défense must rediscover its original relationship with the Seine: the river is no longer an edge, but becomes the living foundation of the district, capable of restoring a strong identity open to the wider metropolis. 

We see this transformation as a major urban project rooted in what already exists, carried out step by step with all stakeholders across the territory, 

through an ambitious collaborative process, aligned around a shared and enduring vision.” 

Delivered through a partnership-based approach, the strategy builds on existing structures through addition, rehabilitation and reuse, revealing the site’s identity while introducing carefully integrated buildings that diversify uses and strengthen local vitality.

Nicola Carnevali, Senior Associate, RSHP, said: “Our ambition is to reveal the site’s uniqueness by transforming and amplifying what already exists: preserving what distinguishes the site today whilst catalysing its future evolution. In our initial approach, the project’s morphology unfolds as a metropolitan clearing. 

High points rise along the historic La Défense axis before gradually stepping down towards the Seine, forming a composed skyline carefully balanced between urban intensity and landscaped open space.”

The project will be developed through a partnership-based approach, bringing together public and private stakeholders in an ongoing process of dialogue, negotiation and collective ambition.

Pierre-Yves Guice, Chief Executive Officer, Paris La Défense, highlighted the scale of the opportunity: “This iconic neighbourhood of 8 hectares, located along the historic axis, facing the Seine and Paris, offers one of the most significant development opportunities of the decade in the greater Paris region.

“We received around thirty high-quality submissions, including many from international agencies. The level of interest demonstrates the exceptional nature of this site and reflects the ambitions we hold for its future. 

Our choice fell upon a Franco-British team led by RSHP, whose complementary expertise, the quality of its references, and its bold vision for the regeneration of the site were decisive factors in our decision.”

RSHP is also currently working on the Jean Moulin project in Paris La Défense, a mixed-use, low-carbon development centred around a new green promenade, pocket parks and a redesigned, tree-lined Avenue Jean Moulin.