Welcome to “Le Jardin sur le Toît” at Vignoles Gymnasium in the 20th arrondissement (District) of Paris.
Amidst soft scents of moist earth and fresh herbs, buzzing bees and colourful flowers – people of the 20th arrondissement come to meet nestled in the Parisian skyline. The oasis in the sky is perched above the drone of traffic. This piece of urban tranquility, in addition, was one of the first large green roof projects in the city.
A Garden in the Sky – leading the way towards a greener Paris.
The Gymnase Vignoles rooftop is host to a wide variety of vegetables, wild herbs and flowers. Organic gardening is practiced in accordance with the Charte Main Verte of the City of Paris, and the roof is furthermore a centre for environmental education. The garden offers its users and all local residents a quiet, green space. In this particularly dense neighbourhood, the rooftop of a new building has permitted the creation of a multifunctional and unique space in the capital.
From high end Landscape to Community Landscape
The Gymnasium opened in 2009. Originally, the terrace was planted with Sumac trees (Rhus typhinia) and Judas trees (Cercis siliquastrum). The architects vision was for the roof to act as an open-air terrace for gym users. However, the city planners were quick to identify the potential of the site as a shared garden. So the roof terrace was was transformed: into shared garden space for the community.
What is also positive about the green roof, is that iis just about urban food. As can be seen in the pictures the roof has also been planted to create an oasis for biodiversity. Wildflowers grace the green roof. There are also trees and shrubs, including a few fruit bearing ones.
In addition to creating this quiet oasis in the 20th arrondissement, the roof has inspired others. A few other food growing rooftops are now springing up in the City. This is all part of the Paris strategy to create at least 15 rooftop gardens by 2020.Furthermore Paris is now licensing people to green up small spaces at ground and roof level.