Unique “Shopping under the meadow” concept from Multi Development gives meaning to sustainable city regeneration
1,5 ha public park
44,000 mē gla retail area
20 medium size shops
100 shops and restaurants
1,800 parking spaces
2 minutes from Portes d’Orleans
On 12 September, the new shopping centre La Vache Noire, in Arcueil, South Paris, was officially opened by Mr. Michel Breuiller, Mayor of Arcueil. La Vache Noire was developed by Multi Development France and was acquired by ING Real Estate through its retail fund ING Retail Property Fund France Belgium.
La Vache Noire brings new and unique qualities to the city. It is the first big shopping centre in France that is not anchored by a Hypermarket. It is the first large multi-use shopping centre in France where residential, offices, shopping and leisure are mixed and woven into the urban fabric. Multi’s sustainable solution to design public space in the form of a 1.5-hectare park, on the top of the shopping centre, introduces human scale to the project and makes connection to the surrounding urban area.
Les Portes d’Arcueil
The La Vache Noire shopping centre is part of the major multifunctional inner-city regeneration project of the Parisian region called Les Portes d’Arcueil (14 hectares) that represents one of the most important economic projects in the Ile de France, creating over 3,000 new jobs. Les Portes d’Arcueil is carried out by town-developer Sadev 94 and incorporates 150,000 mē of retail & leisure, offices (a.o. Orange Parisian headquarters), residential, a 3 star hotel as well as a multiplex cinema. It is set to give an economic boost to the area and to transform it into a multi-use urban core with all the attributes of a city - commercial, residential, retail, entertainment and public space.
La Vache Noire
The new shopping centre offers 44,000 mē light shopping space on 2 full levels of retail (-1 and 0). Above this two half levels are dedicated to gastronomy and jardinerie, with direct access to the park. Underneath is a parking garage for 1,800 cars on 2.5 levels.
The roof of the project consists of a 1.5-hectare public park, providing an attractive outdoor setting in the heart of urban Arcueil. At the side, where the park is raised, an eye-catching glass entrance, supported by impressive V-shaped columns forms a landmark for the project. There is ample daylight in the shopping centre through glass walkways in the park, a glass pavilion and other glass features. 8-Meter high objects d’art in the park hide the projects technical air ventilation systems. 80 Terrace-shaped apartments have a panoramic view on the park. The project was named after the nearby famous so-called crossroad of La Vache Noire in Arcueil, where 57,000 cars pass everyday.
T+T Design, Multi’s in-house architects were responsible for the urban planning and the architectural concept for La Vache Noire. Architects involved were Dusapin & Leclercq and Groupe 6 Architects. Multi Mall Management manages the centre.
Commercial
The shopping centre opened 100% let. The commercial formula is unique, as it is not linked with any hypermarket.
The 44,000 mē retail area offers 100 shops and restaurants and 20 medium-size units, representing a wide range of international and national brands, such as Monoprix (5,000 mē gla), Truffaut (4,000 mē gla), Darty, Médiastore, H&M, Zara, Esprit, Cool Cat and others. The lower floor is dedicated to mass market tenants as well as the food area of Monoprix, the second floor is dedicated to fashion and lifestyle, Truffaut operates on the garden level, restaurants such as Flunch, Bistro Romain and McDonald’s on the upper level. The shopping mall is connected by escalators and elevators to the 2.5 levels of underground parking, with room for 1,800 cars, managed by Q-Park.
The opening ceremony
On 12 September the opening ceremony was performed and was attended by more than 2,000 guests who were able to enjoy contemporary aerial and dance shows in the shopping centre. The celebration ended with the discovery of the “magical garden” and a final show in the park with a music performance 30 meters high.
On 13 September, the shopping centre opened to the public. This was supported by a major communication involving and informing the local community with a media campaign including billboards, radio, street marketing, games and artist entertainment.
“La Vache Noire” is Multi Development’s second delivered project in France after the opening of the city regeneration project “Les Quatre Chemins” in Vichy in 2002. Under construction is Les Arcades Rougé in Cholet (20,000 mē) that will be delivered in 2009 and there are a number of projects in the pipeline, among them “Coeur de Ville” in Grigny, 100,000 mē, that will be the heart of a new major urban development less than 25 km South of Paris. This multifunctional urban development will include a shopping centre, leisure, public facilities, housing and green public space and will be delivered in 2010.