How the 13th arrondissement of Paris is developing a series of gigantic murals to soften its minerality and improve the environment for its inhabitants.
For almost 30 years, the Acorus group specializes in eco-renovation. This French ETI maintains, renovates and rehabilitates real estate assets to improve the lives of occupants, the sustainability of heritage and its enhancement. Always with an environmental approach in order to minimize the impact of its construction sites and reduce the carbon impact of buildings.
With 1,900 committed employees, Acorus recorded 300 million euros in consolidated turnover in 2025 and continues its controlled growth, thanks in particular to significant markets won in the field of housing, hotels and the tertiary sector, throughout France. And, what’s more, Acorus encourages Street Art : two monumental works in which Acorus participated were inaugurated on May 25 in the 13th arrondissement of Paris.
Ten different tile models for the fresco designed by Add Fuel on 131 boulevard Vincent Auriol. © PP
The huge mural in the background is the work of English artist D*Face and was created in June 2023. © PP
Add Fuel
In the 13th arrondissement of Parison behalf of RIVP and its subsidiary HSF, owners of the housing buildings at 131 boulevard Vincent Auriolthe Acorus teams installed a monumental fresco in earthenware tilesimagined by theartist of street art Portuguese Add Fuel. This artistic work, printed on earthenware tilesis based on a particularly precise assembly: ten different models of tiles, designed by Add Fuel and made in Tunisiawere installed according to very rigorous layout, in order to reconstruct the pattern imagined by the artist and guarantee the visual coherence of the whole. According to Add Fuel is his first tile work in Paris.
For the Acorus teamsthe challenge was as much artistic as technical. A large part of the work took place upstream of the site with meticulous preparation:
– sorting and organization of tiles by model;
– Creation of zooms and cut-outs of plans to facilitate the reading of the installation areas;
– And precise anticipation of assembly.
In total, this month and a half project gave birth to a spectacular urban fresco, combining artisanal building know-how and contemporary artistic creation.
Philippe Benquet, president of Acorus, on the left, and Add Fuel on the right, in front of the fresco at 131 boulevard Auriol. Philippe Benquet founded Acorus in 2010 by taking over a construction SME. © PP
It was him, Carlos Gomes Da Costa, the tiler from Acorus who installed the ceramic tiles for the Add Fuel fresco in a month and a half. © PP
Shepard Fairey
At 93, rue Jeanne d’Arc, just outsidecorner of 131 boulevard Vincent Auriolthe American Shepard Fairey created the mural “Rise Above Rebel” in June 2012, a commission from the RIVP (Régie Immobilière de la Ville de Paris), also financed by the Caisse des Dépôts Île-de-France and the Île-France-France Region. Two years ago, RIVP rehabilitated the building and installed thermal insulation on the exterior. Residents requested that the fresco be reproduced identically. What was done. In March and April 2026, Shepard Fairey added ceramic tiles to the base and along the wall that leads to the mural. Tiles also installed by Acorus.
NOW, Add Fuel and Shepard Fairey have a joint project for a mural on the side of a white buildinglocated on the other side of rue Jeanne d’Arc. Their work should begin in the middle of June 2026. We will see.
Shepard Fairey completed his monumental painting, dating from 2012, with a course of tiles at the base. He naturally designed the tiles. © PP
Boulevard Paris 13
Boulevard Paris 13 is a project of the Association for the Promotion of Urban and Contemporary Arts. Since 2014, the 13th arrondissement of Paris offers a tour of frescoes created by French and international artists. Initiated by Galerie Itinerrance, in partnership with the town hall of the 13th arrondissement, this walk was designed as a real open-air museum. By offering a place of expression to major urban art artists, this district is gradually writing one of the most beautiful pages in the history of Street Art and gives the district international fame.
Jérôme Coumet, Mayor of the 13th arrondissement of Paris, plans to turn Boulevard Paris 13 into an open street art museum. It supports social landlords who host works on their buildings. © PP
The aim of all these frescoes is to liven up and make more pleasant this district of the 13th arrondissement, which is rather mineral and tall. © PP
