2004

Cité internationale universitaire of Paris

The Cité internationale universitaire de Paris is a 34-hectare site featuring cultural and sports facilities that are open to the public. It is a place of architectural and cultural diversity, bringing together 130 nationalities within some 40 buildings showcasing a wide variety of 20th-century architectural styles. Based on these observations, one of the key objectives of the studio’s project was to use visual identity and wayfinding to restore the site’s contemporary, vibrant, and dynamic character. Typography is a key element of the site’s identity. It highlights the Cité’s unique multicultural character by incorporating some fifty characters drawn from scripts of different cultures. This shared “language,” used on-site as well as off-site on a wide variety of informational media directly linked to the site, its institutions, and its activities, was developed by André Baldinger: it is a typeface that randomly integrates characters from other cultures into the Latin alphabet. The main entrance, with its main courtyard, called for a strong visual statement on the scale of the site. A concrete ring 20 meters in diameter bearing the wayfinding information was installed in this courtyard, eliminating the need for a multitude of signs. Concrete was the primary choice, to anchor strong elements—more like sculptures than furniture—to the ground. These elements feature timeless, colorful forms that “blend” with the surroundings and convey a clear message. Temporary programming information, meanwhile, is displayed on three large banners, mounted on 7-meter-high poles visible from the entrance.

Design Team — Ruedi Baur, Karim Sabano, Denis Coueignoux, Stéphanie Brabant
Furniture — Eric Jourdan
Typeface — André Baldinger