In 2021, Paris Habitat, CROUS, Sorbonne University and the City of Paris launched a major project to transform the Tour des Poissonniers, located in the north of Paris, with the aim of installing a residence for students, researchers and young workers of a new type. A Cité of Arts surrounded by a garden will be installed on the ground floor of the tower; it will include rehearsal studios for dance and musicology students. Part of the building will also be dedicated to students in the musicology department of the Sorbonne, Paris' university. Its transformation was entrusted to the team formed by AUC, Fagart & Fontana, Catherine Mosbach, LaSUR, Rotor, Arcadis, Link, Medieco a,nd AHA.

The participation of students in the construction of this project has been essential. It is from their experiences and their expectations in terms of housing, workspace, creation and conviviality that the project can be finalized. The project team met students interested in the issues of housing, cohabitation and artistic production during 4 co-design workshops that took place in January and February 2022. These workshops allowed collective reflection on the spatial issues of the project. They allowed students to interact with Crous, Paris Habitat and Sorbonne University.

Less established than previous generations, more qualified but also more confronted to job insecurity, young people experience difficulties in accessing quality affordable housing. The pandemic has also highlighted the central role of social interactions in student well-being, whether within the university or in the neighborhood. To offer young generations real refuge spaces suitable to social, educational and professional development, the new residence will offer many common spaces.