The University of Chicago held a Nov. 9 groundbreaking ceremony to launch the expansion of its Center in Paris, which aims to serve as an important regional hub for ambitious education, research and collaboration across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. The new expanded facility, designed by architectural firm Studio Gang, will nearly triple the size of UChicago’s current Center to accommodate increased demand among faculty, students, alumni and partners to study, conduct research and convene in Paris.
Attended by UChicago leaders, Marie-Christine Lemardeley, deputy mayor of Paris responsible for higher education, research and student life; Jérôme Coumet, mayor of the 13th district of Paris and chairman of SEMAPA, Emmanuel Desmaizières, CEO of Icade Promotion; world-renowned architect Jeanne Gang; and partner architects from Parc Architectes, the ceremony revealed new renderings of the building, the University’s plans to establish a Research Institute for International Studies in the Center, and a conversation with Gang on the architectural significance of the new building’s innovative and sustainable design.
Scheduled to open in January 2024, the new Center will be located at 39-45 Rue des Grands Moulins in Paris Rive Gauche, a district close to the French National Library that is considered a hub for research and higher education. The site of the Center’s expansion is also part of one of Europe’s leading civic projects, which focuses on developing former industrial sections of Paris’ Left Bank. The current Center, which is located two blocks from the expansion project site, will close after the new building is completed.