Antoine Frérot is overhauling France’s water-and-waste champion
WALK along Sugar Road in Aubervilliers, north-east of Paris, and it is obvious how a formerly scruffy area is gentrifying. New office blocks, a shopping mall and bistros have appeared in recent years, filling spaces left after wrecking balls flattened warehouses. Along a canal previously used by barges, commuter ferries deliver workers from richer parts of the city. A district long known for slums, cheap housing and support for the Communist Party is becoming a business hub—Chanel, a fashion firm, as well as several film producers and studios, have moved in and big banks are expected next.
The district’s centrepiece is a U-shaped glass block, the headquarters of Veolia, the world’s largest water-and-waste group. The building opened in January, after the firm moved out of central Paris to save costs and concentrate 2,000 of its 163,000 staff in one spot. Moving to a rehabilitated area carries symbolism for Veolia, which is experiencing…
