The World's Largest Rooftop Urban Farm Is Set To Open In Paris Next Year
A joint project between Viparis and its partners Agripolis,
Cultures en Ville and Le Perchoir
In 2015, Viparis launched an extensive renovation project at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition complex. This decade-long initiative will raise the complex to the highest international standards and make it a model of sustainable development.
Paris Expo Porte de Versailles welcomes trade fairs and conferences, but it will also become a haven for sustainable farming and biodiversity, thanks to a 14,000 m2 urban farm on future Pavilion 6's roof. This will be the world's largest rooftop urban farm, offering a range of activities starting in spring 2020. To bring this exciting project to completion, Viparis teamed up with three partners, all of whom are experts in their fields.
An urban farm set and run by Agripolis
The goal is to make this urban farm a globally-recognised model for responsible production, with nutrients used in organic farming and quality products grown in rhythm with nature's cycles, all in the heart of Paris. More than twenty gardeners will produce over a thousand Kg or baskets of fruits and vegetables every day in season, from about thirty different varieties of plants, with Agripolis vertical farming technique.
3D view of the urban farm on the rooftop of Pavilion 6 (Paris Expo Porte de Versailles)
© VALODE&PISTRE ARCHITECTES/ATLAV - AJN
Services by Cultures en Ville
Taking things to the next level, the farm will offer a range of services related to urban agriculture: educational tours, team-building workshops for companies, and vegetable plots leased by residents.
A restaurant and bar with a unique concept signed Le Perchoir
Le Perchoir, Paris's renowned chain of rooftop venues, will open a bar and restaurant on the panoramic terrace of Pavilion 6, with a menu that will include produce grown on site. Le Perchoir's aim when developing its spaces is to spotlight urban heritage and encourage the greening of cities. Building on the success of its previous efforts, the company has now set its sights on western Paris.
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"This project is in line with our goal of making the exhibition complex a part of Paris. We are transforming our venues with a view to sustainable development and maintaining biodiversity, which is reflected in our "Better Events Viparis 2030" strategy. Viparis is proud to contribute to the development of urban agriculture in Paris by making Paris Expo Porte de Versailles a flagship point of reference, and we are excited by the passionate commitment of our partners: Agripolis, Cultures en ville and Le Perchoir.
Pablo Nakhlé Cerruti, CEO, Viparis
"By installing productive farms on the sites we operate, we are helping to foster environmental and economic resilience in tomorrow's cities. This is our guiding principle. To this end, the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles site will supply restaurants in the area, primarily Le Perchoir, but also residents of southern Paris and neighbouring municipalities, either directly or through distribution, and company canteens and hotels."
Pascal Hardy, Founder, Agripolis
"Today, large metropolitan areas are the focal point of a number of ecological issues. These include the loss of natural groundcover, pollution and rainwater management, but also societal issues such as the lack of connection between urban dwellers and their food supply. Cultures en Ville is keenly aware of these challenges, which is why, for the past four years, we have been providing innovative solutions that reconnect city dwellers with a healthier diet. The Paris Expo Porte de Versailles project is an ideal response, by offering local residents high- quality, locally-produced food and the opportunity to cultivate their own gardens. Working alongside our expert partners, we are proud to be building the world's largest rooftop urban farm!"
Clément Lebellé, Co-Founder, Cultures en Ville
"This project combines ecology, high-quality produce, the highlighting of the Parisian landscape, authentic experiences, cultural richness and human warmth. Le Perchoir shares these values, and is delighted to be part of this ambitious, trailblazing effort."
Christophe Talon, President, Le Perchoir
KEY FIGURES
1T of fruits and vegetables / day in full season 22 gardeners
140 cultivation squares to rent
14 000 m2
10 000 visitors / a year / 500 m2 for special events
About Viparis
Viparis, a subsidiary of the Paris Ile-de-France Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, is the European leader in conferences and trade events. Viparis manages nine event venues in the Greater Paris region. Each year, it welcomes ten million visitors (the general public, business visitors and spectators), and hosts 800 events in a diverse range of sectors at Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris Le Bourget, Paris Nord Villepinte, Espace Champerret, the Palais des Congrès de Paris, the Palais des Congrès d'Issy, the Salles du Carrousel, the Espace Grande Arche and the Hôtel Salomon de Rothschild.
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About Agripolis
Agripolis is transforming food systems by installing and operating urban farms that use innovative techniques to generate high-quality, responsibly-produced vegetables and fruit. Our soil-free, aeroponic "vertical farms" require minimal installation. Fruit and vegetables can be grown without pesticides and harvested at maturity, optimising water use and with a very low carbon footprint. Agripolis' vision is a city in which flat roofs and abandoned surfaces are covered with these new growing systems that contribute directly to feeding urban residents, who now represent the bulk of the world's population.
About Cultures en Ville
Cultures en Ville specialises in urban agricultural development. Our core business is the creation of productive, playful and aesthetic vegetable ecosystems. Cultures en Ville is a partner of the AgroParisTech research institute and takes part in cutting-edge research into urban agriculture. With a customisable offer that includes the design, production and management of vegetable gardens, the company has already carried out more than thirty large-scale projects, including the urban agriculture demonstrator at La Maison de la RATP, a vegetable garden at one of La Poste's headquarters and another at the head office of Vinci Construction France in suburban Paris.
Agripolis and Cultures en Ville have each won several calls for projects, including the "Inventing the Greater Paris Metropolis" and "Les Parisculteurs" initiatives.
About Le Perchoir
Le Perchoir's mission is based on the desire to re-inhabit the rooftops of Paris and give Parisians the opportunity to reclaim unusual spaces. Our first challenge was transforming a Parisian industrial building's 400 m2 terrace into a nighttime attraction.
Our rooftop bar quickly became a genuine crossroads for creative minds, a setting for collaborations and partnerships that generated a range of original projects - exhibitions, concerts, popup rooftop restaurants, outdoor film projections, and more.
To expand this nomadic undertaking, we turned to other venues - the Perchoir Marais, with its breathtaking view of Paris and its finest monuments, and the Pavillon Puebla located in the heart of the historic Buttes-Chaumont park.
Our goal when developing and re-appropriating spaces is to spotlight urban heritage and encourage the greening of cities. The venues are Parisian, but act as gateways to other places and other spaces. This is reflected in our musical programming featuring gems from around the world selected by Karl Planck from Radiooooo.com, an eclectic Internet radio station.