Contemporary · Parks

Jardin Atlantique

Paris

Jardin Atlantique is an urban park built in 1994 on a slab covering the platforms of Paris-Montparnasse station. Planned since the 1960s as part of a scheme to cover the station and create green space, it was completed alongside the construction of the TGV Atlantique station. Designed by François Brun and Michel Péna, the park is surrounded by apartment blocks in the Maine-Montparnasse complex.

The park’s layout includes a large square lawn, a central path leading to the fountain of L’Île des Hespérides, and a children’s play area crossed by a long curved pedestrian footbridge. Its design combines evergreen vegetation with ocean-related forms and shipbuilding-style furniture. The planting includes around 150 trees, mainly pines, and arranges European species opposite American species along the central alley. The park also contains vents for station and parking ventilation, sports facilities, and sculptures by Bernard Vié. The garden and parking structure were built by architect Jean-Marie Duthilleul.

Map showing the location of Jardin Atlantique in Paris
Location of Jardin Atlantique in Paris

Nearby Objects

Access and Location

The Jardin Atlantique can be accessed at 1, place des Cinq-Martyrs-du-Lycyee-Buffon. It is also reachable directly by stairs from inside Montparnasse station. In addition, the site is served by Montparnasse - Bienvenue station, which is on lines 4, 6, 12, and 13.

Design and Features of Jardin Atlantique

Jardin Atlantique combines landscaped public space with functional urban infrastructure. At its center is a large square lawn open to the public, crossed by a path that leads to the fountain of L'ile des Hesperides. The fountain is framed by a portico with meteorological equipment on each foot and a large adjustable mirror, although the meteorological observatory and the fountain are currently out of service and surrounded by barriers. The garden was designed around an ocean theme suggested by vegetation, wave shapes, and shipbuilding-style furniture.

The planting scheme uses evergreen vegetation borrowed from the Atlantic facades of two continents, with green, purple, white, and blue tones. Other elements include a children's play area made up of small squares and sunken paths, which contrasts with the rest of the park, and a long curved pedestrian footbridge over this area. The park also offers a fitness area, tennis courts, ping-pong tables, and guided tours.

Jardin Atlantique was built by architect Jean-Marie Duthilleul as part of both the garden and the parking structure below. Vents are distributed through the garden to ventilate the train station and underground parking within a vegetated environment. Sculptures on masts along the residential building were created by sculptor Bernard Vie, adding another artistic element to the site.

Construction Above Montparnasse

Jardin Atlantique was constructed in 1994 as a suspended garden above the tracks of Paris-Montparnasse station. It was built on a slab covering the train station platforms, on a surface area planned for this purpose since the 1960s, when the idea was to cover the station and include a green space. The garden project was completed at the same time as the construction of the TGV Atlantique station. It was designed by Francois Brun and Michel Pena for Historique. The garden is surrounded by the apartment blocks of the Maine-Montparnasse complex, which gives it a distinct urban setting above the railway infrastructure.

Botanical Planting Scheme

The Collection botanique is a landscaped planting scheme of approximately 150 trees. It is composed mainly of pine trees, including umbrella pines, Scots pines, and Himalayan pines. Along the central alley, the arrangement pairs European tree species opposite American tree species, creating a structured botanical composition within the garden.