Templiers NeighborhoodCoulommiers (77)

Overlooking the valleys of the Grand Morin at the edge of the Brie Plateau, Les Templiers is located on the heights of Coulommiers. This geographical position, earning it the name "Ville Haute" (High Town), enhances its uniqueness but also its isolation. This area initially housed the Templar commandery and now hosts large facilities such as the hospital and the school campus, which have created a boundary with the countryside.

Urban and programmatic planning at the plateau scale envisions future expansions extending to the village of Theil and a new connection with the countryside. The project is designed with a future where the population of Ville Haute will surpass that of Ville Basse.

The key challenges of this evolution are to open up the neighborhood to the outside, connect its sub-neighborhoods, and ultimately define the new centrality of Coulommiers—the one of Ville Haute.

Two major axes are outlined. Some buildings are demolished, including housing and a school that has become obsolete in terms of fire and thermal safety. New blocks along the neighborhood's edge create a welcoming fringe where row houses and small collective housing will be built. The schools are consolidated into a single school complex in the heart of the neighborhood. A park highlights the Templar commandery.

The new layout of public spaces enhances the site's attractiveness through a network of pedestrian paths, peaceful, tree-lined living areas. Les Templiers intensify, hybridize, and reconnect with their environment, creating a new frontier with the countryside. The boundary, once thin and distinct, becomes thick and porous. A transition zone articulates these two worlds, organizes their interaction, and welcomes life.