UPM ProFi is bridging the contemporary and the ancient in Paris
Architect Aristide Bravaccio Valari chose UPM ProFi Deck to create a walkway and stairs to a new park, in Paris city. This new garden area is highlighting historical excavation site and the statue of French writer Arthur Rimbaud. Before this square was just an area paved with concrete that people traversed through, surrounded by a library and a republican guard building.
After 2015 excavations that resulted in finding remains of Charles V ramparts from circa 1370, City of Paris wanted to change this mundane city square into a green oasis to highlight these archaeological findings. Architect B. Valari was chosen to design the park and he chose to use ProFi Deck to cover the walkway and stairs that traverse the park.
Now in 2019 the park is a quiet and green haven in the middle of the buzz of a big city, where people come to relax and enjoy the green oasis for a while.
Let’s ask architect himself why he chose the modern UPM ProFi Deck composite to this very historical site?
B.Valari: “UPM ProFi is an aesthetic choice that works with the vegetation. It also brings an urban aspect to an environment surrounded by very old buildings. I think it suits well to this purpose technically too, because the boards are lightweight, non-slippery, very durable and resistant to urban stains.”
What is the role of the walkway in this park?
B.Valari: “This space is now a place where people can rest for a moment. This realization integrates the history of the city of Paris, an indelible imprint that had to be kept but to which needed to be brought to life with the plants and through the valuation of the excavations. UPM ProFi products, with a contemporary look, symbolize this link between modernity and tradition”.