HISTORY OF THE SITE

CHÂTEAU SAINT-LÉGER FROM THE BELLE EPOQUE TO THE PRESENT DAY

It all began in 1884 with the construction of an astonishing motley-style château by architect Léon Carle, commissioned by industrialist Charles Sieber. Its decoration largely drew its inspiration from the neo-Gothic style still very much in vogue at the end of the nineteenth century. Around this charming bourgeois house lazily stretches a romantic park abounding with distinctive features: follies, caves, ponds and remarkable trees. It is to this heritage that iXcampus today owes its charm and its unusual character.

In the 1920s, the château underwent a successful transformation, highlighting interior ornaments and Louis XV style carpentry. Now more feminine, more flexible than at its origin, this “sugar-sweet” character is still clearly visible on the outside. It is this generous style that inspired the very recent interior renovation of the château. The result offers visitors today a stark contrast between pieces imagined in the style of the Belle Epoque for the château, and a resolutely contemporary architecture in the submerged part, completed in 1990.

THE SITE BECAME A RESEARCH CENTRE FOR THE STEEL INDUSTRY

In 1946, IRSID (the iron and steel research institute) purchased the estate and set up its research centre there. At the start of the 1950s, this new vocation led to the construction of a vast set of buildings, many of which, in a “total art” logic, were designed by Jean Prouvé. The most remarkable feature is undoubtedly the majestic and very ethereal Great Staircase. Château Saint-Léger is well-conserved and used both as accommodation and as offices.

The metamorphosis of the château into a conference centre

In 1991, Château Saint-Léger was transformed into a spectacular conference centre, driven by architect Dominique Perrault. If the interior decoration and ornaments have disappeared, the château retains its external integrity, emerging from a huge circular glass roof. This translucent canopy covers and illuminates an incredible conference room offering a striking view of the castle from a low angle view. A large auditorium with more than 200 seats completes this unique basement.

This new configuration is so original that it has been captured by a photo “seen from the sky” by photographer Yann Arthus Bertrand. However, the operation of this centre would be short-lived. The site was abandoned in 1994 with the departure of IRSID, and although Ford moved there in 2002, creating new buildings, the château became a ghostly silhouette with a strange charm, accumulating disorder and threatening ruin.

THE ARRIVAL OF IXBLUE AND THE GENESIS OF IXCAMPUS

2016 was the start of a profound renewal. The high-tech company iXblue set up its head office and research centre there. More than 250 engineers and technicians moved into the 1980s buildings, completely renovated for the occasion. Another building, dedicated to research, was built.

From then on, everything speeded up. iXblue did not wait to buy the site to rethink and rehabilitate it as a whole. In 2018, conservation measures were taken on the château and its restoration was decided. Today it is a unique conference and seminar centre.

At the same time, the beautiful 1950s buildings, left vacant following the departure of Ford in 2019, were fully rehabilitated. They now host CY Cergy Paris University as well as innovative companies, with the aim of promoting the fusion of the worlds of research, higher education and business.

To these initiatives were added the construction of a 1200m2 sports centre, all in glass and metal, and a complete renovation of the restaurant. These infrastructures, and the state of mind in which they were built, today give shape to iXcampus and establish it as one of the most attractive innovation centres in the Paris area.

HISTORY OF THE SITE

CHÂTEAU SAINT-LÉGER FROM THE BELLE EPOQUE TO THE PRESENT DAY​

THE SITE BECAME A RESEARCH CENTRE FOR THE STEEL INDUSTRY​

The metamorphosis of the château into a conference centre

THE ARRIVAL OF IXBLUE AND THE GENESIS OF IXCAMPUS

CHÂTEAU SAINT-LÉGER FROM THE BELLE EPOQUE TO THE PRESENT DAY

THE SITE BECAME A RESEARCH CENTRE FOR THE STEEL INDUSTRY