Many couples dream of waking up on the banks of the River Seine in Paris or overlooking the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, and thousands of tourists flock to the waterfront every year for city breaks or romantic getaways.
Local design studio MenoMenoPiu Architects is very aware of the impact that large volumes of tourists can have on the structure of a city and is looking to combat any negative effects of growing visitor numbers by integrating temporary hotel units along the River Seine.
The main concern for the practice is the potential for Paris to become a ‘city museum’ such as Rome or Venice, with the quantity of museums on offer transforming urban areas into ‘living conservatories’ and leading to ‘a gradual decentralization from the Parisians’.
To combat these issues, the team has released a proposal for a series of cabins along the banks of the Seine, taking inspiration from the structure and shape of booksellers that currently line the River and the cabin hotels of Japan.
The origami-style housing units are modest in size - 43 sq ft for a single and 75 sq ft for a double - and are accessed via a secure corridor along the banks. Large panes of glass have been incorporated to maximise views across the scenic location and the size of the volumes kept to a minimum for low visual impact.
MenoMenoPiu Architects Project Team: Rocco Valantines; Mario Emanuele Salini; Alessandro Balducci; Giampaolo Fondi; Pietro Bodria; Giovanni Sandrini; Alexandra Baldwin; Silvia Spagnoletta; Joanna Walczak