The campus is built on the site of the former "Halle aux Vins," a wine market created by Napoleon Bonaparte.

In 1957, the first university buildings were built along the Eastern bank of the River Seine (le quai Saint-Bernard), and Rue Cuvier.

The Minister of Culture André Malraux entrusted architect Édouard Albert with the task of rapidly constructing a new science campus on the site.

Albert's grand vision[citation needed] of modular metallic buildings, designed to facilitate interdisciplinary work and improve teaching, was never achieved and was eventually abandoned in 1972.

The regular grid plan is confusing, and only long-time residents can move through without going back to the wind-blown ground level, since many corridors do not allow through-crossing (laboratories etc.

The campus had increasingly deteriorated since its construction, and its older tower stairwells and exteriors were covered in perpetual graffiti.

The graffiti were removed; sound proofing and thermal isolation was added; many of the round stairwells were replaced by straight ones; openings were made to create vistas and let in light; the prefabs were destroyed and replaced by gardens; courtyards were covered by transparent roofing; a dry garden was created around the Zamansky building; and a restaurant was opened in the South-East courtyard.