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IPFS News Link • Architecture

Abandoned Paris Metro Stations, Reborn as Nightclubs and Public Pools

• http://www.wired.com, By Keith Barry
 Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, a center-right candidate for mayor of Paris and former environment minister, has unveiled a series of plans to turn the legendary “ghost stations” of the Paris Metro into underground oases.

She’s enlisted the help of architects Manal Rachdi of OXO Associates and Nicolas Laisné to create renderings of the stations, repurposed as sleek spaces to display art, open restaurants, or create parks.

“To swim in the metro seems like a crazy dream, but it could soon come true,” OXO Architects says in a statement. “Turning a former metro station into a swimming pool or a gymnasium could be a way to compensate for the lack of sports and leisure facilities in some areas.”
 

Similarly, the architects propose that underground clubs could bring nightlife into neighborhoods without drawing noise complaints. And underground gardens — with skylights, of course — could give Parisians a place to enjoy nature on a rainy day.

Most of the ghost stations have been closed since France entered World War II in 1939. And although they haven’t seen passengers in 75 years, many of them have still led a somewhat active life.


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