Hospital closure since 2016

No patient has entered the former military hospital of Val-de-Grâce since June 30, 2016. The facility, located in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, has 12 floors and 50,000 square meters of usable space. It sits in the center of a 28,000 square meter green area and was built on the former kitchen garden of an abbey founded in 1624, which still includes the church of Notre-Dame du Val-de-Grâce.

Reason for closure

The hospital closed in 2016 after a decision made in 2014, due to the need for extensive infrastructure work to meet modern hospital standards. The estimated cost of these upgrades was around 200 million euros, or about 4,000 euros per square meter of usable area, which made the renovation financially unviable compared to building new facilities.

Proposed reconversions

Over the years, the site has been considered for various reconversions, including a "intelligence city" by the Ministry of the Interior, a private hospital for disability by Professor José-Alain Sahel, and a business hotel focused on health innovation. However, by 2017, the French government rejected some of these options and kept the site in public hands, under the Ministry of Defense.

Military use during transition

Between 2020 and the time of the decision on reconversion, the site housed military personnel from the Sentinel operation. A question to the National Assembly noted that the Ministry of Defense stationed units there during the period of uncertainty, as projects remained under interministerial review.

New research campus announced

In December 2020, President Emmanuel Macron, along with the Minister of Health Olivier Véran and the Minister of Research Frédérique Vidal, announced the PariSanté Campus. This research and innovation hub in digital health is expected to cover 60,000 square meters and host more than 3,000 people, far more than the 900 jobs previously at the hospital. The project is scheduled to be completed by 2030, with part of the garden open to the public.

Project delays and progress

The PariSanté Campus has already started operations in 2021 at a temporary site in the 15th arrondissement, where start-ups and public institutions coexist. However, the timeline has been delayed, with construction expected to finish in 2029 and the campus opening in 2030. A selection process for the concessionaire began in May 2023, with the contract expected to last 35 to 40 years.