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Architects: Ateliers Jean Nouvel, Habiter Autrement
- Area: 3514 m²
- Year: 2011
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Photographs:Philippe Ruault
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Sustainability Consultant: Transsolar, Franck Boutté
In the Lormont housing project, extraordinary views of the Gironde river and the Aquitaine bridge are the key features of the site. In order to optimize these views, while minimizing visibility between neighbours, each of the 26 apartments was given a unique shape; the result of this arrangement is the building’s overall saw-shaped figure.
The site orientation gives the two long sides of the building, which face to the east and the west, very different characteristics. Along the faceted west facade, opaque panels alternate with full-height windows that offer panoramic views of the river, and which open to transform the living space into a terrace. The sectional design works to enhance the spectacular presence of the 60 m high bridge.
Two levels of apartments are stacked, with duplexes and triplexes above the ground floor. Each level is shifted laterally in order to expose part of the roof, allowing the full-height windows to extend into the ceiling. This transition from the vertical strips of glass on the facade to the horizontally-orientated roof lights emphasizes the effect of the ‘low-angle shot’, to use a cinematographic term, up towards the bridge towers.
On the east side, the building is shielded from a noisy street by a metal-clad facade with relatively small openings, the size and position of which are determined by the needs of the apartments within. But even here, the river beckons. Transverse passages, clad in reflective material, amplify available light and create a blurry, dreamlike image of the river that is visible on the street side; the passages also widen to invite the approach towards the river.
