London based firm of Stanhope Gate Architecture that specialise in contemporary classical and traditional Architecture and Urban Design won in 2015 an invited competition to design a major residential scheme in the Quartier du-Parc in the Paris suburb of Serris, a new town in Seine-et-Marne.

The Project is a joint venture between French developer OTI and The Disney Corporation. Stanhope Gate Architecture worked in collaboration with Paris based Paris Classical Architecture who acted as executive Architects.

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The scheme is set to provide 127 apartments in 7 buildings and 12 houses with a number of social housing units. The community of Serris which is part of the new town of Val d’Europe Marne-la-Valee is home to a number of high profile projects by well know Architects, such as Leon Krier, Pier Carlo Bontempi, Ricardo Bofill, Jean Nouvel and Maurice Culot.

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The Stanhope Gate masterplan for the site and the design of the buildings follow the principles of traditional urban design and the concept of villas in the park, whilst maintaining the dense urban grouping of the buildings to align with the aspirations of the town’s masterplan. The Architecture of the building is based on the 18th century picturesque tradition using the villa typology and its adaption to multifamily units.

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Alireza Sagharchi, Principal of Stanhope Gate Architecture said: “The Serris project represents crystallisation of our practice’s philosophy in creation of human scale urban environments of streets and squares and blocks that form the core of the traditional city. We believe that the size and volume of the brief should not necessarily dictate the size of the built form. The use of the urban villa typology in the architecture of the buildings is seamlessly adaptable to the needs of integration of modern housing and affordable housing without denigration of the Architecture or Place.

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About Serris: Serris is a community which forms party of the Val d’Europe new town sites found in Marne-la-Vallee, 30 km east of Paris. The new town planned along the principle of Traditional Urban Design is home to over 30,000 inhabitants will 11,000 work with 1.4m sq ft of office and 10m sq ft of commercial action with over 4,000 and has been recognised as one of the most dynamic urban areas in France.

About Val d’Europe: About Val d’Europe The result of a unique public-private partnership in France, Val d’Europe is part of a Project to develop on 1,943 hectares, and over 30 years, the number one European tourist destination – Disneyland® Paris – combined with a town, contributing to reinforce Eastern Ile-de-France. Val d’Europe comprises major urban and business clusters : 24,000 residents, 21,000 jobs, numerous shops and facilities, over 224,000 sq m of fully developed, or underway, business and commercial properties – with an additional 136,000 sq m office space for Euro Disney’s own use – and a vast infrastructure network permitting international access a leading TGV hub in France, 2 RER A-line stations, Val d’Europe boasts of a “town in the country” atmosphere, regulated development and innovative spirit that places it today as one of the major economic and urban clusters in Eastern Ile-de-France.

Press links:
Bdonline: Stanhope Gate wins housing competition by Disneyland Paris (PDF)
Traditional Architecture Group: Stanhope Gate to design major residential project in Paris Suburb (PDF)