by simon.berthiau, a view of an abandoned warehouse along the Ourque channel
updated check out the youtube “93 pantin” video exploring the inside of the building and the new updates about the future of the building (below)!!
The construction of this enormous building, located on the south side of Pantin harbor, was part of a great project to transform Ourcq channel into an important navigable vector and to connect it to French bigger rivers. The project, started at the beginning of the last century, included also the implementation of the Pantin harbor and the enlargement of the Ourcq channel.
The building, the Chambre de Commerce et d’Industrie de Paris (CCIP) deposit, was ended between 1929 and 1931 and it is composed of two warehouses, at the time dedicated to the storage and supply of grains and flour shipped by boat through the Ourcq channel to the city of Paris. The building also served as customs office.
Unfortunately it’s difficult to find information about this place and we weren’t able to discover when the building was dismissed and what happened later until now. It appears it is (or has been) a squat, but we couldn’t find any other confirm about that.
There is an interest for the building and, in general, for all the Ourcq industrial structures that must be converted, as they are no longer used. It seems someone has already designed a renovation solution for this amazing place, but not much information are provided!
The industrial age is over and the reconquest of the canal banks is on the agenda. The CCIP deposit renovation now is part of a bigger project, consisting in the achievement of a new district, identified in the local plan as the BIA South Canal. The twin buildings of the former Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Paris will be rehabilitated to accommodate economic activities. On the southern site, a residential space (400 units), recreation and walking should be developed. If we consider the old administrative city, become the National Centre of Dance, and the Grands Moulins de Pantin, the conversion of the CCIP site will be a coherent continuation of the problematic heritage of industrial architecture, started from the park of La Villette.
Sources (in french):
– atlas-patrimoine93
– technical documentation – pdf, from page 63 to 70)
– tourisme93
[im]possible living 