Paris, Olympiades

A series dedicated to an unknown corner of Paris, whose very distinct and particular atmosphere I always found extremely fascinating. Les Olympiades is a district of residential towers located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built from 1969 to 1974, the district consists of a dozen towers built along a huge esplanade, elevated eight metres from the ground, that is dedicated to pedestrians. A shopping mall, known as the Pagode, stands at the centre of the esplanade. Les Olympiades were built with the aspiration that a population of young professionals would be attracted to this very modern complex. From 1975 its southern end began to attract Vietnamese and then Chinese residents, who also populated the main Chinatown in Paris around the southern end of the complex.