The architect Vincent Callebaut created “The Green Line”, a prototype of a footbridge that “generates its own energy from renewable sources, recycles its own waste and wastewater, and optimises its needs through information and communication technologies.”.

Inspired by a fish skeleton, the proposal links the Bercy Village to the Masséna district in Paris, reestablishing urban connections and linking the 12th and 13th arrondissements of Paris.

This “edible” landscape, dedicated to the Parisculteurs (Parisian growers and farmers), aims to educate residents about eco-gastronomy and more conscious consumption. The greenhouse is designed to house 3,500m ² of vegetable gardens and orchards. The fruits and vegetables produced on the bridge will be directly prepared and consumed in the restaurants in the building. In doing so, The Green Line reduces the ecological impact of food transport and industrial food production. The plan foresees a production of 25kg of fruit and vegetables per m² per year.

Self-sufficient

But The Green Line is not just a greenhouse spanning the Seine. Premises are also planned to encourage eco-tourism, provide training in food education, a research centre, co-working spaces, as well as dedicated leisure facilities. More than anything, the project aims, according to its designer, “at the promotion of peaceful and qualitative public spaces, which give room to uses other than purely functional ones.“

Green energy is obviously favoured in this project, whether solar, wind, riverine or extracted from biomass. The Green Line will benefit from a neutral carbon footprint.

Vincent Callebaut, a Belgian architect living in Paris, has become famous for his futuristic-looking eco-neighbourhood projects, which integrate both renewable energies and urban agriculture.

Tags: ecodesign., Paris, Seine, The Green Line, urban greenhouse, Vincent Callebaut