The Maison internationale Agroparistech was realised thanks to the French ministry of agriculture which financed the construction in order to primarily welcome French and foreign students from the Institut national agronomique. The house was opened in 1928 and a year later a second wing was built to increase its capacity.
Since the creation of Agroparistech in January 2007, the house has been accessible to all students enrolled at the establishment. The house holds the status of a foundation and is recognised as a public utility. Since the 1st of May 2019 it was been joined with the Maison des industries Agricoles et Alimentaires.
The original plans were drawn up by the architect René Patouillard, who won the first grand prize for architecture in 1895 and who stayed in Villa Medicis in Rome from 1896 until 1900. U-shaped and made up of five regular floors, the building is characterised by its refined treatment, and enhanced by brick cladding. Its quaint character can be seen in the roofs, dormers, high chimneys and the pinnacle. The concrete planters incorporated into the windowsills and the sculpted group Aux champs by the artist Emile Guillaume are direct references to the building’s vocation. It has 152 rooms.
Between 2008 and 2009 the building was subjected to important renovation works in order to meet comfort and safety standards and meet HQE (Haute Qualité Environnementale) standards: internal thermal isolation of 10cm, double flux ventilation, eco-showers, water flow reduction on the taps… It’s the first building at the Cité internationale to be equipped with solar panels on the roof in order to lower its annual hot water consumption by 15-20%. This renovtion is in line with the Cité internationale’s sustainable development charter.
Its communal spaces have been redesigned, allowing for kitchens on every floor and the rooms are now equipped with individual sanitary facilities. The renovation works were also undertaken to make the house handicap friendly, with 8 rooms adapted for these needs out of the 152 rooms in the building.