On January 25, the Prefect of the Ile-de-France region, Michel Cadot, will preside over the launch of the “Les Yeux du Ciel” cultural and environmental project. This Land Art project, conceived by architect and urban planner Antoine Grumbach and supported by ECT, is being carried out on the Villeneuve-sous-Dammartin site (77), where excavated earth will be used as the raw material for the work. Set in the axis of the runways at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, and with its gigantic dimensions – 2 eyes, 400 m long – the work will be visible to almost 70 million air travellers. It will be completed in 2024, for the Olympic Games. Roland Castro, author of the report submitted to the French President entitled “du Grand Paris à Paris en grand”, also attended the project launch.
An ambitious Land Art and landscape design project
Located directly in line with the runways at Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, Antoine Grumbach’s “Yeux du Ciel” (Eyes of Heaven) will be a park visible to some 70 million air travellers and accessible to people of all ages. Promenades celebrating biodiversity and agriculture will coexist with vast esplanades for exhibitions, concerts and shows of all kinds.
A work of art made up of two 400-metre eyes
Antoine Grumbach defines the concept of his Land Art project as follows: “At the boundary between urban, agricultural and forested areas, in the Monts de la Goële region, with inert soil that is not spoil but a material, we will create an aerial work of art in the axis of the Roissy runways. This work made of two 400-meter-long eyes reconciles circular industry, landscape, ecological compensation and large-scale art.
“Les Yeux du Ciel” (Eyes of the Sky) combines aerial discovery of landscapes with walks that combine agriculture with cultural and sporting activities. This contemporary creation harks back to the tradition of prehistoric geoglyphs. It is part of our Metropolitan Land Art project, celebrating the diversity of landscapes in the Paris region through the creation of a collection of artificial hills spread over a circumference of around 30km radius around the capital, which will constitute the “new Belvederes of Greater Paris”.
An unusual site for a work of art celebrating earthen materials from building sites
urban
ECT’s Villeneuve-sous-Dammartin site is France’s largest site for recycling excavated soil from urban infrastructure projects (notably the Grand Paris Express) and real estate construction. Entirely land-based
It covers an area of 130 hectares and is 30 m high. By way of comparison, in Paris, this corresponds to a perimeter stretching from the Cour Carrée of the Louvre to Place de la Concorde, on which the project’s 2 400-meter eyes would rest. Antoine Grumbach used the site’s unique geography to design this artistic intervention celebrating the nobility of the material represented by excavated earth, as part of a virtuous circular economy.
An emblematic project in line with the development of the Ile-de-France region
By 2030, the site will be served by line 17 of the Grand Paris Express. Located 1 km from the future Mesnil-Amelot station (77), terminal of line 17 of the Grand Paris Express, and benefiting from the proximity of Roissy Charles de Gaulle airport, gateway to the capital region, the project involves the creation of a major tourist and cultural hub in Seine et Marne, and aims to welcome visitors and tourists from the Greater Paris region. The project is being developed within the framework of a cooperation agreement between ECT, the project’s sponsor and sponsor, the commune of Villeneuve-sous-Dammartin, the commune of Le Mesnil-Amelot and the Communauté d’Agglomération Roissy Porte de France.
“Planting the 1st “Eyes of Heaven” tree is a source of great pride for ECT. This project embodies the essential values of our company, both for our customers in the construction and public works sector and for the local authorities where we carry out our projects: developing a circular economy for excavated soil in order to design useful projects that contribute to the development of the local community. directly to local dynamics. We are delighted to be actively supporting Antoine Grumbach in this Land Art project. “says Laurent Mogno, President of ECT.
Les Yeux du Ciel – key elements
- A work designed by Antoine Grumbach, produced by ECT, an emblematic cultural and environmental project for the Ile-de-France region
- A work of land art in the form of 2 400-metre-long eyes
- Built on a 130-hectare site, visible from the Roissy-CDG skyline to 170 million air visitors, it is accessible to walkers, and features esplanades for exhibitions and shows.
- 30 km from Paris, 10 km from Charles de Gaulle airport, 1 km from the future line 17 station
- Official project launch: January 25, 2019
- Work to be completed by early 2024, with a view to the Olympic Games.
About ECT
ECT’s growth is part of a circular economy strategy: reusing inert soil from construction sites in the Paris region to work with local authorities on concerted, sustainable development projects.
To structure this dynamic, ECT has developed “Excavated earth management” expertise to meet the environmental engineering and traceability needs of the construction industry and the Grand Paris Express, combined with a “Development design and implementation” division to offer local authorities useful projects based on the reclamation of excavated earth: landscaped or urban parks, photovoltaic power plants, golf courses, equestrian centers or sports facilities.
Key figures: founded in 1997 ║230 employees ║A dozen sites in operation in the Paris region ║15 million tonnes of excavated material processed / year ║ 10,000 trees planted / year
PRESS CONTACT ECT – HOPSCOTCH
Ariane Gateau – 01 58 65 10 72 agateau@hopscotch.fr
