OVERVIEW A REGION ON THE MOVE EDITORIAL TESTIMONY OF THE AGGLOME- JEAN-LOUIS RATION OF THE SUBILEAU LOUVRE-LENS, A REGION ON Locating the Louvre at Lens in the middle of a facilities. In 2019, it also joins the Louvre former flat spoil heap, near a pit, in the middle Conservation Centre at Liévin, designed by of the mining towns, under the watchful eye Rogers (Pritzker Prize winner, architect of the THE MOVE of the two highest spoil heaps of Europe, is Georges Pompidou Centre), a partner with For a number of years now, the Lens-Liévin city council and the municipalities that make a powerful statement that respects the past Stirk Harbour. The essence of green town plan- it up have taken up the challenge to revive the region after the closing of the pits with while writing a new chapter in the transfor- ning, i.e. bringing the cities, mining towns and a plan for developing the economy and jobs through the development of culture, tou- mation of the region that sets the tone for mining sites together with nature, has been rism and the quality of life. The incorporation of the Nord-Pas de Calais mining basin on its rebirth. The architectural work of SANAA restarted on the scale of the Pas de Calais UNESCO’s prestigious World Heritage List and the opening of the Louvre-Lens in 2012 (Pritzker Prize laureates) does not dominate its mining basin, with the major project of the are key steps in this process. surroundings; thanks to its horizontal features Chaîne des parcs (chain of parks). This initiative has the backing of the Euralens association which was founded in 2009 to and elegance, it reveals it. Like the Ring of Remembrance by Philippe support the transformation initiated by the arrival of the Louvre in Lens. Collective and To connect the Louvre-Lens to the station Prost and the 14-18 History Centre by Pierre- coordinated solutions are now being sought to address the shared challenges faced by and the centres of Lens and Liévin and get to Louis Faloci (Grand Prix of Architecture 2018), the Pôle Métropolitain de l’Artois, which is made up of the three city councils of Lens- the major mining site near the 11/19, Michel other magnificent historical and memorial Liévin, Hénin-Carvin and Béthune-Bruay Artois Lys Romane, i.e. a population of 650,000. Desvigne (winner of the 2011 urban planning creations designed by highly reputed archi- With the coming together of local key players and the use of high-level external expertise, Grand Prix) initiated an urban transformation tects have emerged over the last 10 years in the certified projects can be developed with the help of partners like Mission Bassin Minier, scheme that makes use of the landscape; it region. The renovation of the mining towns, an engineering, development and regional planning scheme to support the implemen- transforms the black archipelago to the green which were added to the World Heritage List by tation of a comprehensive programme for the urban, social, economic and ecological archipelago. He designs very understated UNESCO, has begun. The 4-star hotel (Hubert restructuring of the mining basin. public spaces bordered with lines of trees that Maes architect) built in a former miner’s village Whether the developments presented in this brochure concern city planning, landscaping lead to Catherine Mosbach’s Louvre Park. With opposite the Louvre-Lens bears witness to the architecture, culture, sport, health, mobility or innovative housing, they are powerful Christian de Portzamparc (Pritzker Prize win- tremendous potential for high-quality deve- tangible signs of renewal. ner), Michel Desvigne drew up the master plan lopments found in the mining heritage. Thus, for the development of Lens Centralité. These while respecting its own particular features Sylvain Robert, are the circumstances in which the contempo- and its simplicity, the region is now showing Chairman of the ‘Communauté d’Agglomération’ (City Council) of Lens-Liévin rary buildings (Saison Menu architects) were visitors the promising signs of its rebirth, to the already built in the neighbourhood of Lens point where it is being referred to as a region railway station, as well as the new boulevard of the phoenix. linking the centre of the city, the University located in the magnificent Grands Bureaux Jean-Louis Subileau des Mines, the Bollaert-Delelis stadium moder- Grand Prix for town planning 2001 nised by the architect Pierre Ferret and the Digital Cultural Centre in a refurbished former school and the Louvre-Lens. This forms a cen- tral green arc, gathering together the major 3 Wingles 22 Meurchin Hulluch Estevelles Bénifontaine Pont-à-Vendin Mazingarbe Vendin-le-Vieil 16 Annay-sous-Lens Loos-en-Gohelle 13 Grenay Harnes 20 Sains-en-Gohelle 19 29 18 25 9 Bully-les-Mines 27 Loison-sous-Lens 10 Lens 28 23 3 4 6 Noyelles-sous-Lens 1 5 8 Fouquières-lez-Lens 14 2 Bouvigny-Boyeffles Liévin Aix-Noulette 26 Éleu-dit-Leauwette Sallaumines Billy-Montigny 1 2 15 Servins Angres 7 Avion 17 Gouy-Servins 12 11 24 Méricourt FROM THE BLACK ARCHIPELAGO TO THE plementary activities. The challenge is to rely Ablain-Saint-Nazaire Givenchy-en-Gohelle 21 GREEN ARCHIPELAGO on this vast network of parkland to offer the Souchez population a coherent set of locations made Acheville In a very real sense, the black that once domi- Vimy nated the landscape is gradually turning for walking, learning, recreation, adventure, Villers-au-Bois Carency green, especially with the Chaîne des parcs. exploration and healing. Since 2017, the Pôle Figuratively speaking, the industrial heritage, Métropolitain de l’Artois has been supporting 2 km which has now been recognised as a UNESCO the interconnected communities in imple- World Heritage site and is accepted as such, menting this scheme. It launched two major serves as a solid foundation for the sustainable projects as a consequence: a common signage development of the region with its powerful in order to clearly identify and promote the 1 Louvre-Lens p. 7 17 Eco-district and La Gare Cultural Centre p. 25 and identifiable landscape leading the way. Chaîne des parcs on the site and a revision of 2 Conservation Centre of the Louvre Museum p. 8 18 Media Library p. 26 The landscape and scheduling study conduc- the strategic plan. The latter has now incor- 3 Artist Residency Pinault Collection p. 10 19 Media Library-Estaminet p. 27 ted from 2013 to 2015 by Michel Desvigne led porated new landscaping projects, bringing 4 Hotel Louvre Lens p. 11 20 Place Daniel Breton and the Bleu Grenay Work p. 27 to the definition of the concept of the «Chaîne the total area to 9900 acres covering 11 large 5 Louvre Lens Vallée p. 11 21 Media Library Le Préau Livre p. 28 des parcs» which is made up of 7 major lands- complexes and nearly 420km of trails. In the 6 Bollaert-Delelis Stadium p. 12 22 The Artchipel p. 29 cape systems connected by about 100km of centre of the Chaîne des parcs, the Boucles de 7 Covered Arena Stadium p. 12 23 Water tower p. 29 green corridors covering almost 5400 acres. la Gohelle and the creation of a bike park on 8 Lens Centralité p. 14 24 Republique District-Cité 4 p. 30 This regional project brings together the most spoil heap 58 at Grenay-Mazingarbe is being 9 Park of the Banks of the Souchez p. 17 25 Grande Résidence District p. 30 beautiful spaces of the region: mining was- developed within this context. Plans are also 10 Base 11/19 p. 18 26 Vent de Bise District-Jean Lebas p. 30 telands transformed into parks, spoil heaps being sketched out to create the Arc Nord com- 11 Ring of Remembrance p. 20 27 Cité 12-14 p. 31 that leave their unique mark on the horizon, plex linking Harnes to Oignies via Annay-sous- 12 History Centre p. 21 28 Luminesens District p. 32 former mining railway lines reconverted into Lens and Estevelles using a «cavalier minier» 13 Hill 70 Memorial p. 22 29 New Lens Hospital p. 33 green corridors, great memorial sites of the (former mining railway cutting). 14 Malterie p. 22 Tourist Office or Tourist information desk First World War, amusement parks, woods 15 Media Library Nelson Madiba Mandela p. 22 Bike Rental and forests and canals. It is a vast network of 16 Trait d’Union p. 23 Chaîne des parcs 1. View of the twin spoil heaps in Loos- landscapes but also an urban structure that en-Gohelle. © CALL / Y. Cussey slots neatly into the towns. As for the Pôle 2. Restaurant in the Marcel Cabiddu Métropolitain de l’Artois, the sites of the Chaîne Nature and Leisure Park in Wingles. This pictogram indicates the projects that benefit from the Euralens label. © Euralens / Pidz 4 des parcs are interconnected and provide com- 5 ACHIEVEMENTS & PROJECTS 1 LOUVRE - LENS ties, Islamic arts, etc.), the Galerie du Temps The Louvre-Lens, which was opened in 2012, exhibits the works in an open space covering was built on the former coal mining site of 3,000m2 and offers an unprecedented view of 1 pit no. 9 of the Société des Mines de Lens and the Louvre’s collections, allowing visitors to symbolises the renewal of a rapidly changing journey through 5,000 years of art history, art 1. Glass and aluminium façades of the region. The park museum, which was designed and culture, from the 4th millennium BC to the Louvre-Lens. © Euralens / JM André by the Japanese architects, Kazuyo Sejima and middle of the 19th century.