In La Défense, the Voie des Sculpteurs is one of 14 covered walkways serving the business district. In the summer of 2026, this 650-metre-long walkway will be fitted with a new ventilation system, designed to improve user safety.
“At the request of the client, PARIS LA DEFENSE, we focused the design on natural ventilation for air renewal and smoke extraction in the event of a fire. And we drew on our expertise in aerodynamics and modelling to ensure the system’s reliability was in line with regulatory requirements, which are very strict for road tunnels,” reports Mohamed El Madrab, fire safety and ventilation engineer at setec tpi, the lead contractor for design & construction supervision.
Seven times fewer greenhouse gases
Several design options were explored, resulting in a proposal for four openings distributed along the entire length of the cycle path. These openings in the deck therefore provide air circulation and natural light: two essential conditions for making the covered cycle path accessible to cyclists, as requested by the client.
From an environmental perspective, opting for a natural ventilation system helps to reduce the project’s carbon footprint not only during construction but also throughout its entire lifecycle. “Our projections show that, over the 50-year operational period, greenhouse gas emissions will be seven times lower than with a mechanical ventilation system, mainly due to energy savings,” points out Mohamed El Madrab.
