grand paris - newsletter 2
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Grand Paris project latest news
Project updates and testimony from a British company winning business with Société du Grand Paris
How To Contact UsUK Trade & Investment, British Embassy 35 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75383 Paris CEDEX 08, FranceTel: +33 (0) 1 44 51 33 29 Email: [email protected]
www.gov.uk/ukti/france
Newsletter 2 – July 2014
• Change in the management of the “Société de Grand-Paris”, Etienne Guyot is replaced by Philippe Yvin as of February 2014
• Grand Paris project is currently running to schedule. For the newly appointed manager of the Société de Grand Paris, Philippe Yvin, respecting the deadlines is a top priority
• 5.3 billion EUR released for the construction of the first section of line 15
• Choice of architects and project managers on parts of line 16 and 17 should be made by the end of June 2014
The new station designs – an individual approach
• The design of the Grand Paris network’s stations will emphasise individuality
• Each station will be adapted to suit the environment and needs of the surrounding area
• For lines 15 South, 16 and 17 South, a total of 19 different teams of architects have been or will be chosen to design the 24 stations on these sections
• Some important themes and features will run throughout all the network’s stations, ensuring a certain level of continuity (atmosphere, lighting, furniture…)
• All features of the stations will be designed to keep passengers alert and facilitate navigation
How To Contact UsUK Trade & Investment, British Embassy 35 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75383 Paris CEDEX 08, FranceTel: +33 (0) 1 44 51 33 29 Email: [email protected]
www.gov.uk/ukti/france
We asked British Architects, Barton Willmore, to share with us their experiences of working on the Grand Paris project
Barton Willmore is a multi-disciplinary planning and design consultancy with an established network of offices across the UK.
Our international arm, BWi, was established in 2007 and is based in our London office. Barton Wilmore International undertakes urban design, landscape, planning, and architectural
studies and services foreign contracts as far afield as the United Arab Emirates and China. BWi’s work in France commenced shortly after it was founded, starting with work on the government’s écocités programme.
We have subsequently undertaken numerous urban studies at various scales and in all areas of the country.
Can you tell us about your company?
Newsletter 2 – July 2014
What is your experience of working in France?
Our experience has been extremely positive in many ways. Our clients, who on the whole work in the public sector, are always open minded and passionate about the urban environment which generates a dynamic and engaging atmosphere in which to work. When it comes to urban growth and preservation of the green environment France
faces similar problems to the UK, however their methodologies and approach tend to differ to ours.
Designing solutions that work within the French cultural and political framework is both challenging and rewarding and our clients are usually receptive to our different approach. Both sides benefit from sharing knowledge and
expertise and because it is always a learning experience it helps us to stay fresh and bring what we’ve learned to other projects in other countries.
We continue to bid for work in France because the people we work with and the projects we do are interesting and provide us with different challenges from those we face elsewhere.
We were already working in Paris and were aware of the project because of its huge implications for the urban fabric of the city. We were very interested in the way the project
was being implemented and the opportunities it offered for us to work with the Société du Grand Paris on the architectural and urban design aspects. At the beginning of 2012 we found a
call to tender from the SGP to devise a comprehensive set of Design Codes for the maintenance buildings associated with the new rail network and rolling stock and decided to try our luck!
How did you come across the Grand Paris project?
A luminous lobby with a direct access to the meeting rooms and a view on the workshops
How To Contact UsUK Trade & Investment, British Embassy 35 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75383 Paris CEDEX 08, FranceTel: +33 (0) 1 44 51 33 29 Email: [email protected]
www.gov.uk/ukti/france
In your view, what made you secure a contract with the Société du Grand Paris over other companies, especially French companies?
The SGP wanted to engage in an efficient dialogue with all the stakeholders for the Design codes to ensure everyone’s technical requirements and quality aspirations were met, and to make sure there was buy-in from all concerned.
During the tendering process we used our extensive experience in public consultation to differentiate us from the competition, (this type of approach is not yet widespread in France), and proposed a series of stakeholder workshops with specific themes.
These were designed to encourage participation, trigger the imagination and allow people with different perspectives to share their opinions and concerns about these enormous and generally low quality buildings which too often become blots on the landscape.
This innovative methodology was certainly the reason why we won the contract and it was indeed very successful for the SGP in terms of communication with the partners.
Newsletter 2 – July 2014
What do you enjoy the most about doing business in France?
Working in France requires a different way of thinking about our work, both in terms of the process and the product. It’s also very stimulating because our clients expect high quality and
innovation in everything we do – more so because we are perceived as experts from abroad bringing wider knowledge to their team. Even though the French culture is not so different
from the British one, certainly in comparison to other countries we work in such as China or the Middle East, it is still something of a culture shock and always full of surprises.
What would be your recommendations to a UK company wanting to bid into the Grand Paris project?
We would mainly recommend having a solid experience and a very good knowledge of the French language.
France is not short of excellent professional people and in order to win and retain the attention of clients you need to demonstrate an innovative approach, good credentials and be realistic about the market.
People wanting to work in France also need to be ready to travel a lot as meetings and face to face dialogue remain very important for French clients.
Curiosity, adaptability and flexibility are essential and above all the desire to step outside your comfort zone and grab opportunities with both hands.
A legible vertical access to the upper floors
The SGP delivers a new transport network connecting the Grand Paris neighbourhoods
How To Contact UsUK Trade & Investment, British Embassy 35 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75383 Paris CEDEX 08, FranceTel: +33 (0) 1 44 51 33 29 Email: [email protected]
www.gov.uk/ukti/france
Newsletter 2 – July 2014
An open market for network operators Unlike the existing lines of the Paris Metro, where the RATP has the monopoly for operation and management, the new lines will be completely open to public tender. This opens the door to international companies, including several key players on the British market, such as Stagecoach, National Express or First Group.
The first public tender will be for line 15, which should be up and running by 2020.
The planned timescale for this line is as follows:
• 2016: Preparation of business requirements/specifications
• 2017: The public tender for the operator will be released
• 2018: The operator will be chosen
• 2020: The metro is up and running
Contracts Awards• Since last September, several engineering contracts have been awarded relating
to the construction of lines 15, 16 and 17
• The infrastructure engineer, Systra, won the tender for the new line 15 South East, which includes 8 stations along a 21 km stretch of track
• French engineering and consulting group, Setec, has been awarded the contract for line 15 South West, covering 12 km of track and 8 stations
• The French engineering group, Egis, along with its partner, Setec-ITS, have been awarded the project management contract for the bypass systems which will be formed by the new metro lines 15, 16 and 17
Grand Paris has already started... • UK Trade & Investment France publishes information
about calls for tenders relating to the project as Business Opportunities on our website here.
• UK Trade & Investment France is looking at organising a BtoB event focused on the Grand Paris project to take place at the British Ambassador’s Residence in Paris on 10th February 2015. You can register your interest here.