Paris's Parc de la Villette Unveils Major Expansion and Enhanced Educational Farm

In late March 2026, Parc de la Villette in Paris inaugurated a significant expansion of its educational farm and gardens, adding 10,000 square meters of space. The project, which opened to the public on March 28 and 29, transformed previously underutilized prefabricated buildings into a new bioclimatic structure called the Jardins pavilion, designed by architects Anne-Cécile Comar and Philippe Croisier of Atelier du Pont. This allowed the park's Passagers gardens, established in 2001, and its farm to triple in size. The farm, home to animals like donkeys, rabbits, chickens, goats, and bees, now features new areas including a wildflower meadow, an ancient wheat field, a rain-collecting swale, an urban woodland, and accessible gardening plots for visitors with disabilities. A former industrial storage hall was renovated by architecture firm Carriere Didier Gazeau into group workshop spaces, with its beams painted turquoise blue. Nicolas Boehm, the project lead, emphasized the site's role in biodiversity education, noting restrictions on touching animals to foster discussions about consent. The expansion aims to host future events like farmers' markets and concerts, integrating with the park's existing cultural venues such as the Grande Halle and Philharmonie. The park, originally opened on October 12, 1987, on the site of former slaughterhouses, continues to blend urban and natural elements near Paris's périphérique.