Bercy 2

Bercy 2 is a French shopping centre located in Charenton-le-Pont (Val-de-Marne), on the edge of the Seine, framed by the Quai de Bercy, rue Escoffier and the Paris ring road. It was inaugurated on 24 April 1990 and the building is the work of the architect Renzo Piano, together with Jean-François Blassel. Its cyclopean timber structure, clad in 27,000 satin-finish stainless steel tiles pierced with oculi to admit zenithal light, is architecturally innovative; its curvature follows the bend of a ring-road slip road and has earned it the nicknames 'zeppelin' and 'baleine' (whale). It is one of the rare curved buildings by Renzo Piano, the architect of the Centre Pompidou. The centre covers 36,000 m² and houses around 70 shops in the sectors of clothing, personal care, services and banking, sport, culture and leisure, food and restaurants. Its anchor food retailer is a Carrefour, and its tenant mix includes restaurants such as Casa Roma, Montabo and Nusha, Subway, Smile World, Action, Pharmacie de Bercy, Xefi and various service points. The centre offers 2,300 free parking spaces for three hours, an Amazon Locker, a Vinted Go locker, Mondial Relay, a pram loan service, a children's area, car washing and postal services. Ownership has changed several times: the centre was bought by Goldman Sachs (via Archon Group) on behalf of the Whitehall funds, sold in 2000 to Hammerson for €70.4 million, and then sold by Hammerson in 2015 to Tikehau IM for €64 million. In 2018, with UrbanEra winning the 'Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris' call for projects, the Charenton-Bercy redevelopment project was officially launched; it foresees the definitive closure of the shopping centre, initially planned for 2021 and now expected around 2030, with the demolition of the 'whale' building to make way for a new mixed-use district and business clusters. Despite these threats, the Action brand opened a store there on 26 December 2022.

Bercy 2 was inaugurated on 24 April 1990 in Charenton-le-Pont, at the edge of the Seine, on a site framed by the Quai de Bercy, rue Escoffier and the Paris ring road. The building was designed by the architect Renzo Piano, architect of the Centre Pompidou, together with Jean-François Blassel. Its cyclopean timber structure, covered with 27,000 satin-finish stainless steel tiles and pierced with oculi to let in zenithal light, was innovative for its time. Its curvature, which follows the bend of a ring-road slip road, evokes a large airship, earning it the nicknames 'zeppelin' and 'baleine' (whale). 'La Baleine' is the second building constructed in Paris by the internationally renowned architect and Italian senator Renzo Piano, after the Centre Georges Pompidou and the rehabilitation of the Schlumberger establishments in 1984. Although the architect rarely refers to it, 'La Baleine' is one of his rare curved buildings and is arguably a source of inspiration for the Fondation Pathé (2014). The centre was bought by Goldman Sachs (via Archon Group) on behalf of the Whitehall funds. It was resold in 2000 to Hammerson for €70.4 million, which in turn sold it in 2015 to Tikehau IM for €64 million. In 2018, with UrbanEra winning the 'Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris' call for projects, the Charenton-Bercy project was officially launched. This will bring about the definitive closure of the shopping centre, initially planned for 2021 and now expected around 2030. Major works will be carried out in the perimeter currently occupied by Bercy 2 and the adjacent logistics warehouses, with a view to creating a new mixed-use district. The shops, including the Carrefour, will be transferred to the foot of the new buildings along rue Baron-Le-Roy, which will be extended from Paris towards Charenton. The urban renewal project for the Bercy-Charenton district provides for the demolition of the building housing the Bercy 2 shopping centre. The 'whale' is therefore expected to give way to 'clusters', networks of companies made up mainly of SMEs and very small enterprises. Architects have expressed dismay at this destruction: 'That a shopping centre should be demolished is, today, astonishing. That a shopping centre by Renzo Piano should be, is all the more so.' Others propose housing the business clusters in the innovative timber structure of the former shopping centre, which would both reduce the carbon footprint of the project and preserve a 20th-century architectural 'UFO'. The shopping centre has a surface area of 36,000 m² and counts 70 shops in the sectors of clothing, personal care, services and banking, sport, culture and leisure, food and restaurants. In August 2021, the Bercy 2 shopping centre hosted 28 brands against 21 two years earlier. Despite the threats hanging over the shopping centre, the Action brand inaugurated a point of sale on 26 December 2022.

• Inauguration of the Bercy 2 shopping centre, designed by Renzo Piano with Jean-François Blassel.

• Sold by Goldman Sachs (Archon Group, for Whitehall funds) to Hammerson for €70.4 million.

• Sold by Hammerson to Tikehau IM for €64 million.

• UrbanEra wins the 'Inventons la Métropole du Grand Paris' call for projects, launching the Charenton-Bercy redevelopment project that foresees the mall's closure.

• The centre hosts 28 brands, up from 21 two years earlier.

• Action opens a store at Bercy 2 despite the closure threats.

A mid-sized suburban shopping centre on the eastern edge of Paris, distinguished by its landmark Renzo Piano architecture and its mix of everyday retail, food and services.

• Carrefour hypermarket

  Anchor food retailer within the centre.

• 70 shops across fashion, food and services

  The centre's tenant mix includes clothing, personal care, services and banking, sport, culture and leisure, food and restaurants.

• Amazon Locker and Vinted Go lockers

  Parcel delivery and pickup services available at the centre.

• 2,300 free parking spaces (3 hours)

  Parking open 7am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, closed Sunday afternoon.

1. 1Accueil Centre Commercial Bercy 2ccbercy2.com
2. 2Services - Centre commercial Bercy 2ccbercy2.com
3. 3Bercy 2 - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Bercy 2 - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org