Ivanhoé Cambridge officially launches construction of DUO in the 13th arrondissement in Paris

Bill Tresham, President of Ivanhoé Cambridge, and the entire Ivanhoé Cambridge Europe team, along with Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, Jérôme Coumet, Mayor of the city’s 13th arrondissement and President of the SEMAPA public development office, Laurent Mignon, Chief Executive Officer of Natixis, and project designer Jean Nouvel (2008 Pritzker Prize), together raised a symbolical shovel today to mark the ground-breaking for the DUO development in the 13th arrondissement.

This long-awaited event comes on the heels of the signing of a lease for all the project’s office space with Natixis, the international financing, insurance, management and financial services banking arm of Groupe BPCE.

The ground-breaking ceremony officially launches construction of this iconic project, which in 2021 will welcome Natixis employees into the most innovative and environmentally-friendly workspace in Paris. This gesture marks a critical milestone in the remarkable collaboration amongst Ateliers Jean Nouvel, the project architect, Hines France, the associate developer, and VINCI Group, a world leader in construction and concessions.

Expressing his delight, Bill Tresham, President of Ivanhoé Cambridge, said: “We are very proud to celebrate this day alongside the honourable mayors of Paris and the 13th arrondissement. DUO is ambitious and extraordinary, and it will give this area of Paris a whole new dimension. DUO represents the best of our global know-how and our focus on extreme excellence. We consider ourselves privileged and we are grateful for the courage, vision and leadership of Meka Brunel, our former Head of Europe and now CEO of Gecina.”

Anne Hidalgo, Mayor of Paris, noted: “The DUO towers will play a role in enhancing the attractiveness of the capital and of the entire Greater Paris metropolitan area. Over time, they will come to embody the link between Paris and Ivry-sur-Seine, a magnificent architectural achievement that will be part of a harmonious assembly of many buildings. Finally, DUO is an amazing demonstration of creativity and urban vitality at work in the Paris Rive Gauche development zone under the responsibility of SEMAPA and the City of Paris, which are at the root of the project.”

Jean Nouvel, architect of DUO, pointed out that he sought “to play with reflections, by day and by night. The trains running along the tracks, as well as the white headlights and red taillights of the cars along the highway, will be reflected on the gleaming façades. The slight incline of DUO will make these optical plays easier to discern and the moving images more numerous. The towers will lean as if extending a head outside the window to catch the view of the Avenue de France. And they will dialogue like two dancers in balance who are conscious of their surroundings.”

Laurent Mignon, Chief Executive Officer of Natixis, commented: “Natixis is very proud to be part of this outstanding project, which will bring many teams together in one place. With DUO, our people will have access to innovative and connected workspaces that are conducive to teamwork and adapted to the profound transformations that our professions are currently undergoing.”Patrick Albrand, President of Hines France, said: “DUO, this ambitious Paris project, has come about due among other factors to the vision, work and close collaboration of the women and men of the Ivanhoé Cambridge and Hines France groups. This success is in keeping with a long and loyal partnership between our two entities, both in Europe and on the North American continent, which has ensured the architectural, environmental and financial accomplishment and success of numerous major real estate projects.”

Hugues Fourmentraux, President of VINCI Construction France, added: “We are proud to be leading the work on this emblematic project, conducted in full BIM (building information modelling) with digital models used from design to construction. The operational excellence of our various trades, combined with our know-how in completing towers and major projects, will enable us to tackle the technical challenge of this ambitious development. As symbols of what is in store for the city, the DUO towers constitute a superb work for its users and also for Parisians and visitors.”

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