In Paris’ thirteenth arrondissement, the architecture office Moreau Kusunoki has completed Le Berlier, a 50-meter-tall timber tower housing residential units along with various other amenities. Situated at the intersection of multiple urban flows, networks, and scales, the project aims to find the middle ground between innovation, monumentality, and domesticity. The new residential center expresses its structural system through the grid of the façade, rendered in charred and pre-weathered wood.
According to the architects, the image of the ensemble comes from the idea of the ‘inhabited wall’ as a structure that creates the transition from the densely built urban environment to the intimate spaces inside. The grid creates a rhythmic texture that contributes to the tranquil image of the complex. The proportions are informed by the structural system, emphasizing the verticality of the composition. This aesthetic choice is aimed at integrating the tower within the proportions and heights of the buildings surrounding it, creating a coherent urban image.
At ground level, the transparent base of Le Berlier encourages connections at street level and creates a contrast with the introverted inhabited wall above. The resulting public spaces, housing shared spaces, an art gallery, and a restaurant, open the building to the city. In total, the project measures over 7,300 square meters, accommodating 77 housing units, each with a private exterior space, in addition to the various amenities present at the lower levels.
The materiality of the building was chosen to express the warmth and tranquility of the residential function, while the elongated proportions integrate it within the urban context. Charred and pre-weathered wood emphasizes the grid of the façade. The design decisions are also echoed in the layout of the residential units, with each unit opening to a private exterior space. According to the architects, this contributes to strengthening the relationship between the interior and exterior, nature and city, private and public, allowing the neighborhood to develop according to the needs of its inhabitants.
France and Australia-based office Moreau Kusunoki have been commissioned to design the Powerhouse Parramata, soon to become Sydney’s new largest museum. The project developed in collaboration with local practice Genton, is scheduled for completion in early 2025. Moreau Kusunoki is also the architect behind the Pavilion of Sciences Po, a new urban campus part of the schools’ “Cœur 2022” project in central Paris.
