1982, Marne la Vallée, Paris, France
As the landmark building of the new Ville nouvelle of Marne-la Vallée, the complex consisting of Le Palacio, Le Théâtre and L’Arc needed to have a monumental and symbolic character in order to make them meeting place and point of reference for the new town. While its impact on the urban fabric is not decisive, Les Espaces d’Abraxas perfectly fulfils its role as an urban monument marking the beginning of the new town. Imbued with this representative character, the three buildings are laid out in a baroque space, more French in some areas, more Mediterranean in others, to constitute a great public space in which the monumentality provides the backdrop to the “noblest” area of the new residential development. By virtue of this, Les Espaces d’Abraxas have become the symbol and reference point for a large part of the Marne valley.
