Of course, this is a fantasy and a game, as it’s hard to imagine anyone in their right mind suddenly deciding to transform the historic buildings of the French capital. Even if these metamorphoses are for a noble cause: the greening of the environment.
Reimagining the architecture of Paris, Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut drew inspiration from the historic buildings of the Baron Haussmann era, as reported by Designboom.
Urban planner Georges-Eugène Haussmann (1809-1891) significantly shaped the profile of Paris. From 1853 to 1870, he oversaw the transformation of the city under the campaign “Beautified Paris, Enlarged Paris, Cleansed Paris.” The “Haussmannian” buildings gave the city the appearance we know today.
At the architectural firm Vincent Callebaut Architectures, they looked at these legendary structures through their unique lens, focusing on greening and sustainability.
Utilizing the capabilities of new AI tools, Monsieur Callebaut’s team created a series of futuristic, nature-inspired images of the French capital. The green “Haussmannian” houses added to the collection of ecological structures of the future that the firm has been developing for several years, known as “archibiotics.”
Constructed from biomaterials (rammed earth, bamboo, mycelium, etc.), these buildings generate their own energy and recycle waste. For now, of course, this exists only in the imagination of Vincent Callebaut and his colleagues.
The team referenced Haussmann’s motto and came up with a new one that fits the present day: “Resilient Paris, Green Paris, Breathing Paris.” While preserving the historical heritage of the French capital, the designers eagerly envisioned creating pockets of “urban freshness” with breathing facades. According to the authors of the “archibiotics,” this could ultimately lead to a successful symbiosis between humanity and nature.
However, in the creative realm where artificial intelligence meets biotechnological architecture, dreaming is not off-limits.
Background: Vincent Callebaut Architectures is an architectural firm founded by Vincent Callebaut (born 1977), a Belgian architect residing in Paris. Together with his team, he develops futuristic eco-district projects. Currently, Callebaut’s portfolio includes over fifty such projects, the majority of which have been realized and recognized with prestigious global awards. In the projects he creates, the architect and his colleagues consider pressing issues such as renewable energy sources, biodiversity, and urban agriculture. The founder of the firm dreams of making his projects not just comfortable apartment buildings. His ambitious goal is to create an energy-efficient, carbon-free civilization that can successfully overcome the climate crisis.