By becoming a member of the Handitech association, we are joining an eco-system of startups, businesses, schools, institutions and associations that are innovating to provide solutions for people with disabilities through technology.
Handitech develops an inclusive vision for innovation
Founded in 2017 by JobinLive, the first inclusive job search site, and CGI, consulting and digital services specialist, in partnership with Bpifrance, French organisation for the financing and development of companies, and APF France Handicap, which defends rights and represents persons with disabilities and their family members, Handitech is dedicated to changing the lives of people with disabilities through the association of stakeholders who innovate and positively influence the lives of people with disabilities.
Disability affects 650 million people, or 10% of the population and Handitech understands this; innovation is a significant lever for a more inclusive society. By putting technology to work for the common good, Handitech has become a truly inclusive eco-system, ideal for exchanging, collaborating and co-building, with a rich network of 10,000 companies and investors.
GA Smart Building supports all forms of disability
An engaged real estate and construction player, we have chosen to put environmental, social and societal issues at the heart of our #weBuildforLife strategy: building for life and developing projects that have a positive impact. It is therefore natural that one part of our Patronage Policy is the support of all forms of disability.
It is in this context that we decided to make our association with Handitech , but that’s not all.
Our meeting with Handitech came out of a beautiful adventure – the Cité Universelle, Porte de Pantin, in the east of Paris.
The Cité Universelle, a manifesto for universal accessibility
A real estate complex of almost 30,000 m², the Cité Universelle was conceived as a symbol of universal accessibility, inspired by Ryadh Sallem, a top athlete, community activist, Social and Solidarity Economy entrepreneur and Paris 2024 Ambassador. It is intended for all people, whether or not they have a disability.
Because to date, in Paris, no sports infrastructure is able to accommodate disabled athletes properly. In France, no hotel has more than 5% of rooms accessible for people with reduced mobility. This led to the idea of a building complex that is intrinsically accessible to all and to all forms of disability.
Co-designed by architecture agencies Baumschlager Eberle Architects and Studio Montazami, Cité Universelle is an inclusive ecosystem of 30,000 m², composed of 4 centres:
- the Sports centre, comprising a multi-purpose sports hall
- the Health / Well-being centre, which will meet the needs of the Cité Universelle’s daily users, as well as residents
- the Hospitality centre, a 109-room hotel
- the Working centre, which will host a co-working space and offices
In addition, the rooftop agricultural production will supply the company restaurant, along with the restaurant and grocery shop on the ground floor, which will be open to local residents and, more broadly, to those living in the Paris region.
