Reinventing Urban Autonomy in Bourg-la-Reine
An entry in the Inventing Greater Paris (IMGP II) competition, La Nouvelle Vague by Sane Architecture proposes a new economy of living — one where architecture doesn’t just consume resources but creates value for its residents.
Not just housing — but productive habitat.
Not just sustainability — but circulation of value.
Set on the historic site of La Faïencerie in Bourg-la-Reine, the project transforms a collection of schools, gardens, and vacant offices into a dynamic ecosystem where housing, work, and energy production coexist. Here, buildings are no longer passive containers — they are productive infrastructures.
Through photovoltaic roofs connected to a blockchain-based microgrid, residents can buy and sell solar energy within the community, turning neighbors into collaborators in a local energy market. Energy becomes both social glue and economic opportunity.
Each cluster of 8 to 10 dwellings forms a micro-community — adaptable homes with flexible workspaces, independent access, and shared courtyards designed for collaboration and mutual support. Every unit can evolve, host new functions, and generate income through both energy and activity.
This is architecture that generates revenue, not only bills.
A neighborhood designed to produce — electricity, social social capital, independence.
The more it is used, the more valuable it becomes.
La Nouvelle Vague is not just a sustainable development — it’s a prototype for the post-carbon neighborhood: self-financing, connected, and socially intelligent.
A place where architecture earns its keep and the city begins to work for its inhabitants.