A recent architecture graduate has dedicated his final thesis project to reimagining the future of the abandoned Holophane factory site in Les Andelys, France. Paul Motteroz, who graduated from the Paris-Belleville School of Architecture, envisions transforming the industrial wasteland into a thriving food production hub that would revitalize the local economy while preserving the site's industrial heritage.
Motteroz's connection to the project is deeply personal. Having spent 20 years of summer vacations at his grandparents' home in Le Thuit, he became intimately familiar with Les Andelys and witnessed firsthand the devastating impact of the Holophane glassworks closure. "My grandparents lived in Le Thuit where I spent my vacations for 20 years. So I know Les Andelys very well and I dedicated both of my final study projects to this city," Motteroz explained. The closure of the century-old glassmaking company sent shockwaves through the city and beyond, from its initial financial restructuring to its ultimate liquidation ordered by the Évreux commercial court.
The 24-year-old architect brings a unique international perspective to the project, having spent two years studying at the Aarhus School of Architecture in Denmark and completing an internship in Copenhagen with architect Søren Pihlmann. This Danish experience provided him with a distinctive methodology that emphasizes studying the complete lifecycle of buildings rather than focusing solely on their original state. Each of his two Les Andelys projects required six months of intensive research and development.
Motteroz's comprehensive approach is evident in his parallel study of the former Saint-Jacques hospice, currently undergoing transformation. "Concerning the hospice, I studied all its alterations from its archives to critique a vision of heritage that always attaches to the original model. Architects when they restore too often consider a building as being a zero state that should be found again. Today, they study the entire life of the building, the distinct phases of history to finally make a synthesis of a life," he explained.
While praising the rehabilitation project that will convert the historic building from the era of the Duke of Penthièvre into 60 collective housing units for young families and elderly residents, along with a health center and municipal services in the contemporary section, Motteroz raises concerns about certain design choices. He particularly questions the decision to install a central kitchen facility within the residential complex, citing potential conflicts between daily life and commercial operations.
In his detailed 50-page thesis on the future of the former Holophane buildings, Motteroz writes: "The programmatic density of the transformed hospital site requires questioning the usage conflicts between new residents and daily trucks for fresh product deliveries. The plot is already constrained by its reduced width of 30 meters, half of which is built, between the cliffs and the Seine River."
The current state of the abandoned Holophane site tells a story of industrial decline. Machinery has been sold at auction, and two of the three iconic smokestacks have been dismantled, with only one remaining as a testament to the site's industrial past. The once-bustling hangars have been replaced by deafening silence for over a year. For Motteroz, this represents an opportunity to move beyond industrialization and resist the temptation to simply replace one industry with another.
"The city must mourn Holophane and reconnect with its particularities to find its coherence guiding its long-term development," Motteroz argues. His vision draws inspiration from archives of the company and testimonies from former employees, building a project defined around three main axes. He proposes "a stable economic model, creator of local jobs, articulated around the transformation of agricultural products."
To support his argument, Motteroz quotes Italian urbanist Alberto Magnaghi: "Under the lava flows of contemporary urbanization, survives territorial heritage of extreme richness, ready for new fertilization by new social actors capable of taking care of it: a process already emerging, especially where the gap between quality of life and economic growth is most glaring."
The architect's vision involves a comprehensive reorganization of the valley that leverages existing resources in a sustainable cycle. "On the high plateaus are the primary resources, there are valleys in which historically hydrography allowed transforming these raw materials into consumer products. And at the bottom of the slope, there is the city which is the central market that benefits from water access to export these products. I applied this scheme to the Gambon valley and I saw in the Holophane plot a potential production site that would benefit from agricultural resources, which would transform them on site," he explained.
The central kitchen would serve as the cornerstone of this transformation, enabling the development of cold storage facilities, delivery and export zones, all while expanding activities and broadening offerings. In Motteroz's ideal scenario, the site would also accommodate covered halls for local entrepreneurs and producers seeking storage space or transformation workshops to launch or develop their activities. The creation of a cannery and a producers' shop could also be considered as part of the comprehensive development plan.
The second major component of Motteroz's plan involves creating enhanced pedestrian access through the site. He proposes modifying the existing Prés promenade that passes behind the former factory, rerouting it to traverse the Fontainettes domain and arrive directly at covered halls that could host markets and seasonal events like Spring and Autumn festivals. Along this promenade, the Nicolas Poussin museum would be strategically positioned to create foot traffic and cultural engagement.
This initial opening in one direction could be followed by a new pathway in the opposite direction, with activity islands created between the two routes. The existing storage hangars would be preserved along with the loading docks located on Verriers impasse, maintaining the industrial character while adapting functionality for new purposes.
Motteroz's vision for converting this industrial wasteland presents the significant advantage of respecting territorial characteristics while preserving the identity of period buildings. This approach would maintain the memory of former Holophane workers and their internationally recognized expertise, ensuring that the site's transformation honors its industrial heritage while creating sustainable economic opportunities for the local community. The comprehensive plan represents a thoughtful balance between preservation and innovation, potentially serving as a model for similar post-industrial transformations throughout France.
