Marked by successive waves of urbanisation and reconstruction, Évry today is anchored in a new approach adopting responsible and environmentally sustainable urban and architectural projects. A classic example of the new towns of the 1970s, the Pyramids district is a marker of the contemporary identity of Évry. Infused with strong architectural character, the district struggles nevertheless to have a city’s coherence due to the vastness of its public spaces.

The Pyramids community centre creates a new central location and adds structure to the public space by taking on the role of an urban crossroad. It is a collective yet open place, where different entities can coexist while maintaining practical intimacy. The building itself envelops, contains and extends the public space, developing its identity as a crossroads of cultural flows.

This centrality is embodied in its layout: Four independent structures connect the four sides of a central garden around which users circulate. Programs and initiatives are differentiated and readable while gathered in the heart of the building. Upstairs, a succession of terraces hollows out the building in order to “demonumentalise” it. These terraces link with the public space. Unlike a monument creating a void around it, the project seeks to create a strong relationship between the general public, public space, the city and the ideal of culture for all.