since 2021

A tour of the city of Mantes-la-Jolie: sightseeing and culture

Our project serves as a complementary service to the analysis conducted by the Babylone agency as part of the downtown revitalization project commissioned by the city of Mantes-La-Jolie. Based on this study, we developed the design and graphics for the informational materials along the city’s cultural and tourist interpretive trail. To help visitors find their way and stay informed, we proposed a comprehensive system consisting of:
– a series of markers embedded in the street pavement to mark the route
.– a general map of the interpretive trail with descriptions of each stop and estimated walking times. This map will be placed at the various entry points to the trail: Mantes-la-Jolie train station and Quai des Cordeliers
.– an information panel associated with each monument along the trail. The trail’s route forms two closed loops with the Collegiate Church at their intersection. This shape, resembling the infinity symbol, inspired the design of the marker peg.

The typology of the information displays was developed based on two needs identified along the route: panels to be affixed to facades and freestanding panels for primary and secondary stops. The latter come in two sizes. Each combines information and wayfinding. The Babylone agency developed initial designs for street furniture made of yellow-painted metal. We drew inspiration from these to design the wayfinding furniture. All information panels are built on the same principle, regardless of their size: a cut-out sheet of metal (curved at its base) covers a thicker backing, revealing colors that highlight text excerpts. With its colored edge, the support serves as a landmark in the city and functions as an orientation point. Regarding the graphic design, we play with the idea of embossing the text to work with the material’s inherent properties. The text is cut out of the sheet metal, revealing the color beneath. Each location along the route is represented by a pictogram. This is integrated into the written description of the monument and punctuates it. Directional information set in a gray line is also interspersed within the narrative text.

Design Team — Ruedi Baur, Alexandre Moriceau, and Maren Hollmann
Landscape Architects — Agence Babylone