UK architect in running for £500m Paris project

UK firm Baca Architects has been selected to develop a masterplan for a £500m development in Paris.

The practice, which is working with designer Villes & Paysages and engineer Egis, is on one of three teams commissioned to develop detailed masterplans for the 37-hectare site on the banks of the river Seine.

A winning masterplan will be selected by the Seine Amont Public Development Agency towards the end of the year.

Robert Barker, director of Baca, said: “The site faces many sustainable development constraints that are common challenges to other cities across the world - flooding, contamination, occupied plots, access and lack of identity – with a  need for high density development for housing and jobs. It’s a very high-profile urban territory with great potential, which plays to many of Baca’s key skills.”