Lise Meitner Square is a 2,600 m² public space within the experimental housing project START in Ivry-sur-Seine, Greater Paris, designed by BOARD (Bureau of Architecture, Research, and Design) in collaboration with STAR strategies + architecture. Built around two deep geothermal wells, the project explores a new form of urban reindustrialization transforming infrastructural constraints into an open civic landscape while integrating renewable energy infrastructure into everyday life. Through graphic ground markings, robust materials, and flexible spaces, the square reinterprets technical infrastructure as a shared public environment.
Lise Meitner Square forms part of the experimental housing project START in Ivry-sur-Seine, Greater Paris, developed by STAR – strategies + architecture and composed of five residential buildings.
Lise Meitner Square – Crossing of Paths. Image ©STAR strategies + architecture
Read more about Start-Ivry, here!
The two newly created pedestrian alleys cross the plinths of START-Ivry and link the square to the main avenue. Image ©Nicolas Grosmond
Paradoxically, the 2,600 m² public square at the heart of the development was never originally planned. Its emergence is the result of an architectural and urban negotiation with the technical realities of the site, shaped by the presence of two geothermal wells reaching 1,500 metres underground, which supply heating to a large portion of the city. Initially, these wells required a fenced, impermeable and inaccessible safety zone, a condition that would have significantly compromised the quality of the public realm for the nearly 300 families living in the START development. Through a process of technical negotiation and design reinterpretation, what began as a restrictive infrastructural requirement was ultimately transformed into a new civic landscape, turning a technical constraint into an urban opportunity.
Three circular areas are designated as flexible-use zones, for sports, fitness, café terraces, and more, each materialised with a different surface treatment. Image ©STAR-BOARD
Located along the Seine riverfront within the ZAC Ivry-Confluences urban renewal district, just a short distance from the future Parc-de-la-Confluence, Lise Meitner Square operates as a fully open and inclusive public space.
The project demonstrates how contemporary infrastructure can generate civic value when thoughtfully integrated into urban design.
Though shaped by constraints, Lise Meitner Square is ultimately a gift to the neighbourhood, a fully open, inclusive public space. Image ©STAR-BOARD
The square also reflects a broader transformation in contemporary cities. As renewable energy production increasingly becomes embedded within urban neighbourhoods, designers are confronted with the challenge of incorporating technical systems without diminishing the quality of collective space. In this context, Lise Meitner Square can be understood as a small yet significant example of urban reindustrialization, where energy infrastructure reappears within the city not as a hidden mechanism but as a visible and meaningful element of public life.
Marc enjoys spending time at Lise Meitner Square, often sitting on one of the chairs facing the Seine. Photo courtesy of a local resident
The design of the square unfolds through three interrelated themes: geothermal energy, four connecting paths, and three flexible-use zones.
At the centre of the composition, the geothermal infrastructure becomes the spatial generator of the project. Its safety perimeter is materialised by an orange asphalt ring tracing the square’s distinctive oval geometry, transforming a technical boundary into the defining visual element of the space.
The security zone around each geothermal wellhead, materialised by an orange asphalt oval, shapes the arrangement of buildings in the square. Image ©STAR strategies + architecture
Within this central surface of black asphalt, three graphic interventions introduce narrative and spatial meaning. The ground markings include a large-scale “Super-Zebra” pedestrian graphic, a “Mini-Masterplan” reproducing the footprint of the surrounding START buildings, and a poetic inscription drawn from the work of French writer and anthropologist Françoise Héritier (1933–2017) from Le Sel de la vie (2012).
The line, taken “Breathing in the secret smell of tar and sea in the hair of someone you love” introduces an unexpected emotional register within the otherwise technical landscape.
Movement through the site is organised by four paths that connect the square to its urban surroundings. Two new pedestrian alleys pass through the plinths of the adjacent buildings, linking the space to the main avenue and opening visual perspectives toward the iconic cable footbridge spanning the Seine. Additional concrete routes frame the square and accommodate maintenance access required for the geothermal installations.
The quote by Françoise Héritier, a French anthropologist and feminist, from her book Le Sel de la Vie runs parallel to the orange oval. Image ©STAR strategies + architecture
Despite strict operational constraints the square incorporates three circular zones designed for flexible activities such as sports, informal gatherings, or café terraces. The landscape strategy relies on durable surfaces, deactivated concrete, and resilient grasses, creating a robust yet atmospheric environment capable of accommodating both infrastructure and everyday urban life.
Detail of the ground markings in the oval area of the square: the “Super-Zebra”, the “Mini-Masterplan,” and the “Quote”. Image ©STAR-BOARD
Through this careful balance between technical necessity and spatial imagination, Lise Meitner Square reveals a new paradigm for contemporary public space.
The project transforms hidden urban infrastructure into a visible, shared, and poetic element of the city, demonstrating how even the most restrictive conditions can give rise to unexpected forms of civic generosity.
The design of the square highlights the geothermal energy system at its centre. The choice of materials responds to the strict maintenance constraints associated with the geothermal infrastructure, while the colour palette aligns with the overall identity of the surrounding START-Ivry project by STAR strategies + architecture. Image ©STAR-BOARD
Three main themes structured the layout and materialisation of this “miraculous” square: the geothermal energy, the four paths, and the three “zones”. Image ©STAR-BOARD
In this sense, the square embodies its own paradox: a public space that, against all initial expectations, came into existence precisely because of the constraints that once threatened to prevent it — ultimately becoming a quiet but powerful gift to its neighbourhood.
Facts & credits
Title: Lise Meitner Square
Project: Public square in Ivry-sur-Seine, Greater Paris
Date: 2025
Location: Ivry-sur-Seine, Greater Paris, France
Program: Square design for residential areas
Surface: 2,600 m²
Design: BOARD (Bureau of Architecture, Research, and Design) in collaboration with STAR strategies + architecture
Team: Bernd Upmeyer, Efrain Perez del Barrio (BOARD), Beatriz Ramo (STAR strategies + architecture)
Photography: STAR strategies + architecture, BOARD, Nicolas Grosmond, local resident
Lise Meitner Square has already received international recognition, including:
Winner, LOOP Design Awards 2025 (Landscape and Public Space category)
Platinum Winner, ADC Awards 2025 (Public & Urban Spaces – Landscape)
Platinum Winner, Houzee Awards 2025 (Urban Landscape Design & Courtyard Design)
Runner-Up, RTF Global Architecture & Design Awards 2025
Shortlisted, Architecture Hunter Awards 2025 (Public and Urban Design)
Longlisted, Archello Awards 2025 (Public Space of the Year)
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