Jardin Françoise Mallet-Joris

The Jardin Françoise Mallet-Joris is a suspended garden that rests on a surprising foundation. It is built entirely on top of the roof of a gymnasium and four levels of underground parking. This green balcony acts as a bridge above the street level, serving as a tranquil space for the surrounding neighborhood. The garden is part of a larger ecological corridor that stretches from the historic Petite Ceinture railway tracks all the way to the Jardin des Plantes. Its design features wooden platforms and subtle changes in elevation, which break up the straight lines of the surrounding urban architecture. From here, you can catch a clear view of the Station F campus. This space honors the life of the Belgian-French author Françoise Mallet-Joris. She gained international fame at age twenty-one with her debut novel, which tackled themes that were considered highly scandalous at the time. Beyond her own prolific writing, she served as a long-standing member of the prestigious Goncourt Academy, which awards one of the most significant literary prizes in the French-speaking world.