© Photo Library BNP Paribas Real Estate

The Great Mills of Pantin have stood at the gates of Paris since 1884 and are one of France’s most spectacular industrial heritage sites. After undergoing numerous transformations and reconstructions, the Mills of Pantin have been entrusted to the firm of architects Reichen et Robert on behalf of BNP Paribas Real Estate.

It is quite a challenge to convert this factory into modern offices that comply with France’s high-quality environmental standards [HQE] while preserving its historical features.

The project has received the Ile de France Silver Pyramid in the Corporate Property category, awarded by the federation of developers and builders of the Ile de France.

Naturally, the Great Mills of Pantin were therefore open to the public for the 26th occasion of the European Heritage Days, which was held on 19th and 20th September 2009.

The topic “Heritage for All”, which was chosen as the slogan for these days, echoes the basic mission of the Ministry of Culture and Communication, as it was defined when it was created precisely 50 years ago by André Malraux: “To make humanity’s most significant works accessible to the greatest possible number of people” and “to ensure that our cultural heritage has the biggest possible audience”.

More than 12 million visitors set off to discover some of the 15,772 monuments and sites that were open to the public.