The starting point for ECDM Architectes in their design for the Cité municipale de Bonneuil-Sur-Marne is the context in which the new city hall will be located. Here more than elsewhere, the town hall will articulate, unify urban landscapes of great diversity, contribute to the implementation of a new polarity high symbolic value in a heterogeneous urban environment. The intersection of two major pathways of Bonneuil-sur-Marne, between the Avenue de Verdun and the provincial road 19 is a strategic crossroads at the edge of urbanity strong and gives our response as an interface between the different territories of the city. More images and architects’ description after the break.
It is a building backbone that we offer, a building that articulates the modern city and ancient city, a vessel on the definition of an urban landscape, a building that promotes the values of an open society on its environment. This is around the definition of an open space, a space featuring the city, organizing services and programs open to Bonneuillois, a place run by its players and users. This is a lively and attractive and the dynamism of Bonneuil is on view for a close and civic administration.
The volume of the Town Hall is divided into three levels, the first two are used to bring services to the public while the last level welcomes the elected Mayor and his deputies. The last level is used to create slides and south side terrace associated with the relaxation of staff and a north side door overhang above the square marking and protecting the entrance of City Hall.
The design of a building developed on three levels allows us to stay within 8 m at the last floor available and manage all of the Town Hall as a single volume. This unit allows a much better spatial fluidity between levels with stairs open, visual continuities and breakthroughs, better functioning by limiting the airlock doors and firewalls, as well as better accessibility in terms of maintenance and operation. Think like veritable incubator of the town, the town hall organizes these three levels around a large atrium lobby and two large patios planted. Wide open and thought as continuity of the court, the atrium is an input space of about 300 m2. This is an open, welcoming space where citizens circulate and exchange information and services in the municipality of Bonneuil-sur-Marne.
The reception develops lengthwise in the axis of the building and over its entire height. Natural light enters through a long glass roof, and a large bay window defining a patio. The project builds on the particular geometry of the plot at the last level to create a large opening facing the Avenue de Verdun. This geometry, combined with the mayor’s office as well as meeting rooms and reception offers a dedicated lookout on the ancient city of Bonneuil-sur-Marne and highlights the relationship between the mayor and its inhabitants.
An essential question to be answered by the city hall is that of managing the flow of different users. In order to facilitate management, our project proposes to develop services and traffic in an efficient and rational, around the large central atrium. The atrium, surrounded by corridors and provide immediate understanding of brand building and a landmark space for different flows. As mentioned above, our intention was to limit the level of the last floor is located less than 8 m from ground level. This choice allows you to process traffic and emergency exits in a much less restrictive. Thus, the circulation around a large central atrium will be treated as open and airy, combining accessibility issues and safety concepts of spatiality and vistas as much value added to the daily use of the new town hall.
At Interior, the distribution of different services is organized around the large central atrium as well as around two large patios planted, two real spaces backbones that connect all the services. This spatial organization can develop without traffic cul-de-sac, facilitating inter-departmental communication and tracking the flow to the public. Common areas for services, meeting rooms and relaxation area are in connection with the central atrium that will function as a landmark in the life of the town hall, and the city more generally.
On the ground floor, the flow of the public will initially be controlled by the pre-reception which are located next to the elevators. Reception staff may have a vision of flows of people using them. The pre-reception will then direct users either directly or in the various services to the stop located in the large atrium lobby, where people can also join the services located on the upper floors.The top floor consists of services that people’s access will be by appointment. To facilitate this access control, badge system will be installed lock to the output of lifts.
Our project considers the town hall as a large house more than just a workspace. A space dedicated to the city and its dynamism. With this in mind, we focused on continuity and transparency of the public space of the square towards the interior of City Hall. The input space, large atrium that develops on three levels should allow to connect the public space that extends into the ground floor with services located in two levels above. The central atrium is the true heart of the city hall. it allows transversalities between programs and includes both visual services, residents and traffic, especially directed by a set of stairs connecting the various levels.
Our project really wanted to focus on this space by dedicating more than double the superficial space recommended in the detailed technical specifications. The wedding hall, located on the ground floor is largely open to both public space but also on the large entrance atrium. This space of approximately 350 m2 is an important space services located on the ground floor. Thought to evolve at a large five small spaces each with private access, these rooms will benefit the large atrium as home interior and exterior space as the square covered by the overhang of the second level.
Carrying a strong symbol, the facade of City Hall should be a reflection of the values of citizenship, equality, and serious. In the interests of transparency and privacy preserved for staff, a metal grid system is placed in front of the glass facade of the building will produce a dialogue between the interior offices and public spaces. Transparent enough to be able to benefit of view, this mesh will also build a scalable and secure environment and especially to give a strong visual identity, identifiable and recognizable by all users of the city.
Based on a 90 cm frame as that of windows, the metal skin on the upper floors has a system of pivoted flaps. We believe that building performance can not be a permanent building. Building performance is a building that interacts with a changing environment and evolving. Without knowing what the technologies of tomorrow, it seems important to offer an iterative architecture, which increments and gains in performance in its ability to trade with its environment: intellectual environment, social, cultural, climatic, geographical. Thus, our project is exchange surfaces, surfaces static or dynamic but always evolving.
Therefore, at any time the relevance of interfaces, boundaries, contours, envelope must be evaluated in its ability to protect, secure and promote the transfer of energy, moods, ideas, of information.
Architects: ECDM Architectes Location: Bonneuil-Sur-Marne, France Structure Consultant: EIFFAGE Val de Seine Engineering: SNC Lavalin Contractor: EIFFAGE Val de Seine Client: SADEV 94 on behalf of the City Council Bonneuil sur Marne Built Area: 7045m2 (4500m2 usable) Cost: 14 M €
