The factory of Five Senses, Paris, France

“L’usine des cinq sens, a sensory laboratory” (The factory of the five senses, a sensory laboratory)
A citizen-led project led by local residents, winner of Réinventer Paris 2, on the site of the Seine water pumping plant in Paris’s 16th arrondissement.
The project involves opening up this exceptional site to the public, showcasing it and creating a link between the city and the river. A peristyle, with a hanging garden, delimits the space, creating a link between the district and the Seine. The halles, with their industrial architecture, are preserved and enhanced, and the planted areas are multiplied.

Program	Mixed uses: Youth Hostel, shops, shared gardens, urban farm, co-working…
Floor area	2900 m²
Owner	Usine des cinq sens
Location	77 avenue de Versailles à Paris 75016
Architect	loci anima
Concrete structure	BET Khephren
Wood	BET SPAN
Facad structure Fluides et HQE	Elements Ingenierie
Quantity surveyor	VPEAS
Landscape	MOZ paysage
Fire Safety	WSP
Certifications	BDF and Biodivercity
Images	Grenade

The Usine des Cinq Sens is a sensory laboratory. By creating a synergy of all five senses, it allows each of us to feel more in harmony with ourselves, with others and with the world.

The Usine des Cinq Sens is a space that opens out to the neighbourhood and to the Seine. It’s a space that people walk through, a connecting space, but also circumscribed space that exists in itself. The architectural choice of a peristyle, inspired by the Roman “domus”, gives it its identity. It demarcates the space on the ground and in terms of height without closing it off, without fencing it in.

The courtyard-garden, which resembles an “impluvium” encourages the recycling of water, dialogue and interaction. Planted areas abound and the buildings adjacent to the halls have been demolished. The two halls and their industrial architecture have been magnified, both outside and within, where the space is constantly evolving.

Finally, a Pavilion of the Senses turns the process of drawing water from the Seine into a moving tableau. It evokes the “gloriettes” that were so popular in the 18th century, the perfect place to dream away a sunny afternoon.