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Origin and history

The Maillot Shopping Centre, also known as Carrefour Sens Maillot, is an emblematic building of modern architecture located in Sens, Yonne. Opened in 1970 under the sign GEM, it was designed by the architect Claude Parent, a major figure of deconstructivism. This architectural movement rejects traditional orthogonality to favor inclined planes, creating a dynamic and continuous spatial organization in all three dimensions. The building is part of a series of four supermarkets built for GEM between 1968 and 1970, of which it is now the best preserved copy.

The shopping centre is located near the ZUP de Sens and the Collège des Champs-Plaisants, on the road to Maillot. It is based on the principle of oblique function, a theory developed by Claude Parent which aims to rethink urban space through inclined, traversable and liveable volumes. This concept breaks with conventional construction patterns, offering an innovative spatial experience for users. The site was listed as a historic monument on June 10, 2011, recognizing its outstanding heritage value.

Owned by a private company, the mall Maillot embodies a pivotal period of French architecture, where formal and functional experimentations have redefined public spaces. Its inscription covers the entire building, including the Cadastral plots ZD 588 and 589, under the place called All-Va. The GPS coordinates available place the monument near 9010 Rue René Binet, confirming its anchoring in the urban landscape of Sens. The available sources, including Wikipedia and Monumentum, underline its importance as testimony to the architectural genius of Claude Parent and the deconstructivist movement in France.

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