Inauguration of the Canopée and the Forum des Halles in Paris

5 April 2016 - Events - France

After more than five years of works, the Canopée and the Forum des Halles, the “new heart of Paris”, were inaugurated on 5 April by Anne Hidalgo, mayor of Paris.

The project, part of the programme to redevelop the Les Halles neighbourhood, was implemented by, in particular, a number of VINCI companies.
Teams from VINCI Construction France, in charge of the structural works/framework/envelope, notably collaborated with Freyssinet (VINCI Construction) for the reinforcement of the underground structures of Les Halles, working together with several VINCI Energies business units for upgrading safety in the underground areas and the Berger car park and for the lighting of the Les Halles gardens, and with Eurovia for the general restructuring of the underground roadways and the waterproofing works.

A remarkable structure, the Canopée – its steel structure and the roofing it provides over adjacent buildings alone weighing some 7,000 t – rests on the 71 concrete columns that support the Forum des Halles all the way up from the foundations of the train station. Suspended just 14.5 m above the ground, this 26,000 sq. metre glass envelope is composed of 18,000 pieces, yellowish-green in colour, laid out like scales, with huge precision, over a steel structure.