6 residential units in Paris / mobile architectural office
Text description of the architects. The site is at the crossroads of three distinctive Parisian urban situations not far from the Canal Saint-Martin: rue Robert Blache, punctuated by small white-plastered Faubourien buildings of understated fashion nature, rue du Terrage, largely occupied by a large HBM type complex with decorative brick facades and business around the Place Raoul Follereau, an imposing residential complex built in the early 1980s and characterized by a reinterpretation of the classic language that can be described as postmodern.
A contextual project. The building is on the corner of Rue Robert Blache and Rue du Terrage.
The agency wanted to reinterpret the Faubourienne architectural codes present in Rue Robert Blache: a compact volumetry between courtyard and street, a facade ordered by regular vertical openings, a discreet fashion nature, a simple expression of the building’s construction choices.
On the ground floor of Rue Robert Blache, the agency has created a strong sense of revitalization with a maximum of retail space. Access to the apartments is via a bright passageway overlooking Rue du Terrage. On the upper floors, all apartments are double or triple oriented and have large windows that offer residents maximum light.
On the street side, the building has a matt white ribbed metal skin. The carpentry is made of wood in natural colors and the railings are made of glass, giving the apartments brightness and privacy. On the courtyard side, the facade is clad with natural-colored wood paneling.
An ecological wood project. The building develops a construction principle based on prefabricated wood with massive facades and floors (from the Basque country). This principle has allowed the development of a very low carbon site and the assembly of the structure on 5 levels in 10 days. Cross laminated timber panels laid on the facades and partition walls carry cross laminated timber panel ceilings. The structure can be seen in the apartments, with some structural elements visible. The entire building is insulated with wood fiber. The floor consists of plant fibers (linoleum) or tiles (common hallways and wet rooms). In order to facilitate the large spans in the commercial premises and the relation to the ground, the structure of the ground floor is made of concrete.
A low load project. The program develops 6 apartments, including two triplexes on the ground floor (R+3-4-5). This configuration has allowed the 5-storey building to be serviced using only a staircase and external landings, limiting the cost of a possible elevator. All the technical equipment is managed by an apartment (ventilation and individual boiler) in a shell with very high thermal resistance. Rainwater is collected on the roof (R+5 in zinc) and feeds the planter above the bike room and green space on the ground floor. A recovery system in the tank feeds the taps in the common areas (maintenance, irrigation) and all the sanitary facilities.
