Cité du Cinéma

The industrial site of electricity production at Saint-Denis, dedicated to powering street lighting and the Paris Métro, permanently ceased its activity in 1981. In 2004 Reichen et Robert & Associés agency is selected to be charge of its conversion into cinema city. They based their concept on a relationship of continuity and harmony between the preserved architectural features and contemporary additions.

Known as a traditional building material, terracotta combines its strengths as a natural, timeless material with a modern, authentic, environmental design character: it is only natural that that terracotta was selected as the exterior finish for this project. Terreal’s terracotta, is able to complement a vast multitude of materials (glass, steel, concrete, and plaster), enabling a combination of design inspirations – historic industrial and modern – of the place.