The Plant Arch of the SAMPLEA cultural and festive third place in Bagnolet (93)
The Sample's Plant Ark
In November 2020, the company SOPIC acquired a brownfield site in the town of Bagnolet. This building was temporarily repurposed as a third place, a space where a community of citizens embodies the desire to move towards a more inclusive and participatory world. SOPIC entrusted this mission to the LBFA association, which was responsible for designing, managing, and giving life and a unique identity to the Sample. This collaborative project aims to experiment with transitional urbanism by reshaping various aspects of the city.
In this context, we wanted to test new devices focused on health and well-being themes.
This is reflected in the cultural programming initiated in this place, but also by a number of pilot projects.
The plant arch you see above you is an experiment designed to understand the impact of certain plants on air quality in an environment exposed to emissions of fine particles and other pollutants (methane, nitrogen dioxide, etc.).
At the Sample site, the sources of pollution come mainly from the combustion engines of vehicles (cars, utility vehicles, heavy goods vehicles etc.) circulating in particular on the ring road and the A3 motorway.
This plant arch will interact with these elements by filtering and transforming them.
SOPIC commissioned the landscape design firm SEMPERVIRENS, led by Frédéric-Charles AILLET, to create this object, adding an aesthetic dimension to its initial scientific focus. The research work began in June 2022.
Its implementation took place in July and August 2022.
Over a period of one year, measurements will be taken to determine the ability of the selected plant species to eliminate these pollutants.
Based on the restitution work, many applications could emerge in the short and medium term, including actions to add greenery to the facades and outdoor spaces of future projects carried out by SOPIC.
This plant arch is part of our broader desire to design our real estate development business differently.