N° 9–2023: Come and visit the European Space Agency’s new Paris Headquarters on 21 March
10 March 2023
In the heart of the 15th arrondissement and after 5 years of intensive refurbishment works, the Headquarters of the European Space Agency (ESA) are once again ready to welcome ESA staff and representatives from the Agency’s 22 Member States.
In advance of the first session of the ESA Council in the new premises, journalists are invited to a “first-look” press tour on Tuesday, 21 March at 09:30 to discover this futuristic new building and discuss its transformation with the ESA project managers and partner firms.
Media representatives are also invited to attend the official opening of ESA Headquarters on 22 March at 18:00.
ESA’s new Headquarters will be a nerve centre for cooperation across Europe’s space sector. As flexible as it is ultra-modern, “ESA HQ Mario Nikis” is the very embodiment of a European organisation at the cutting edge of high technology and is resolutely open to the city it calls home.
In collaboration with real estate developer Sogelym Dixence and the architectural practices Atelier du Pont (project architect) and Majorelle (interior architect), ESA has designed new premises that celebrate the adventure of space through an artful blend of imagination and knowledge; it is an architecture inspired by the beautiful images that come to us as we venture into space. ESA’s new Headquarters will provide a state-of-the-art work environment for its staff and various partners, while also reflecting the way in which the Agency has evolved and continues to evolve, as well as making use of a number of technologies derived from the space sector.
ESA’s Headquarters have occupied the site of the former Thomson factory in rue Mario Nikis since 1976. In 2017, ESA’s 22 Member States agreed to a proposal to refurbish the existing building. There were two main aims underpinning the proposal: to be able to accommodate up to 30 delegations and to remove asbestos from the old building.
On Tuesday, 21 March 2023, media representatives are invited to visit the new ESA Headquarters, joining ESA representatives and project experts as they present the key features and benefits of this futuristic new building nestling in the heart of Paris’ 15th arrondissement, together with the wide-ranging and challenging requirements it is designed to meet.
Programme for the press tour on Tuesday, 21 March 2023
09:00 Arrival and security check-in at ESA HQ, rue Mario Nikis, 75015 Paris.
Coffee and reception in the main entrance hall
09:30 – Some words of welcome to the new ESA Headquarters:
- ESA Director of European, Legal and International Matters and ESA Headquarters Head of Establishment, Eric Morel de Westgaver
- Claire de Clermont Tonnerre, Paris City Councillor and Deputy Mayor of the 15th arrondissement of Paris
- ESA Director of Internal Services, Jean-Max Puech
- Session to be chaired by Laurent Jauniaux, Head of the ESA Headquarters Project, with presentations by the architects Atelier Du Pont (project architect) and Majorelle (interior architect), real estate developer Sogelym Dixence, Bouygues construction, and Digitalis, responsible for the technical fit-out of the Council chambers.
- Initial press reactions (Press Coordination: Bernhard von Weyhe, Head of Media Relations, ESA HQ)
10:00 Start of the guided tour of the building with: monumental staircase, Council room A + B, visits to standard offices, top floor with terrace and "collaborative space" with views over the Eiffel Tower.
10:45 - Q&A session and other possibilities for individual interviews, in the "collaboration room" on the top floor.
About 11:30am - End of press tour.
Media Advisory : ESA Headquarters VIP opening on Wednesday, 22 March at 18:00
Journalists may also attend the official opening of ESA Headquarters with ESA Director General Josef Aschbacher and Chair of the ESA Council, Anna Rathsman (SWE) around 18:00 - in the presence of political figures (details to be confirmed) including:
Sylvie Retailleau, French Minister of Higher Education and Research
Fanta Berete, Member of Parliament for the 12th electoral district of Paris
Philippe Goujon, Mayor of the 15th arrondissement of Paris
Many ambassadors, astronauts and representatives of ESA partner organisations
18:25 - Official ribbon-cutting ceremony, and media photo session
Doors open to the Press: 17:30 - Start of the event: 18:00.
20:00 - End.
Please indicate your preferences when registering for 21 and 22 March. Registration for journalists is due by 20 March 2023, 12:00 at the latest via:
https://blogs.esa.int/forms/esa-media-briefing-form/
Downloadable press file:
Media contact points:
Bernhard von Weyhe
Senior Media Relations, ESA Headquarters, Paris
Tel. : +33 1 53 69 75 04 / Email: bvw@esa.int
Press Office of Sylvie Retailleau, Minister of Higher Education and Research
Tel. : +33 1 55 55 84 24
Email: secretariat.communication@recherche.gouv.fr
Aurélia Jublin, Press Office of the Mairie du XVe Arrondissement (15th arrondissement Town Hall), - aurelia.jublin@paris.fr
Laurence Chaize, Sogelym Dixence real estate development - laurence.chaize@sogelym-dixence.fr
More information
On ESA: www.esa.int
Images
ESA photo library for professionals:
https://www.esa-photolibrary.com/
Terms and conditions for using ESA images:
www.esa.int/spaceinimages/ESA_Multimedia/Copyright_Notice_Images
For questions or more information related to ESA images, please contact spaceinimages@esa.int.
Videos
ESA video library for professionals:
https://www.esa.int/esatv/Videos_for_Professionals
Terms and conditions for using ESA videos:
https://www.esa.int/spaceinvideos/Terms_and_Conditions
For questions or more information related to ESA videos, please contact spaceinvideos@esa.int.
Social media
Follow ESA on:
Twitter: @ESA
Facebook: EuropeanSpaceAgency
Instagram: europeanspaceagency
YouTube: ESA
About the European Space Agency
The European Space Agency (ESA) provides Europe’s gateway to space.
ESA is an intergovernmental organisation, created in 1975, with the mission to shape the development of Europe’s space capability and ensure that investment in space delivers benefits to the citizens of Europe and the world
ESA has 22 Member States: Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia and Slovenia are Associate Members.
ESA has established formal cooperation with four Member States of the EU. Canada takes part in some ESA programmes under a Cooperation Agreement.
By coordinating the financial and intellectual resources of its members, ESA can undertake programmes and activities far beyond the scope of any single European country. It is working in particular with the EU on implementing the Galileo and Copernicus programmes as well as with Eumetsat for the development of meteorological missions.
Learn more about ESA at www.esa.int