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Architects: Benjamin Fleury
- Area: 1640 m²
- Year: 2019
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Photographs:David Boureau
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Manufacturers: AutoDesk, VELUX Group, Arcelor Mittal, Billiet, Kronimus, LALLEMANT, Parex-Group, Ratheau
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Lead Architects: Benjamin Fleury
Text description provided by the architects. This project is integrated into a suburban housing environment. Located in the Rue des Chantereines in the city of Montreuil, the site of the project faces housing blocks typical from the sixties which heights goes from five to ten stories. On the other hand, the inner borders of the parcel are surrounded with houses and their gardens.
COOPIMMO is our client. It is cooperative for affordable housing, that has become one of the first producer of social accommodations with a renting-purchasing system. The project is well-defined by the following characteristics:
- Integration in a complex urban environment.
- Economical frame with social home ownership.
- Low energy consumption (MINERGIE-P label).
1/ Multi-scale context
The first intention of this design is to develop an insertion creating a dialog between the mid-sixties sharped volumes and the small scale of the houses around, while bringing a contemporary morphology. To reach this purpose, the project is divided in two blocks. The first one is urban, located in the front of the parcel along the street whereas the second one is residential, in the heart of the plot. The void created in between the two buildings becomes the centre of the composition, where social interactions can easily take place.
2/ Social home ownership around a green courtyard
These accommodations where first offered to local families who could not easily afford to be owners. The principle of the social ownership is simple: in addition to the regulation of low prices, families can contract a loan without pre-existing capital, and then become owners after a first step of renting. Because of the economic flimsiness of the buyers, who already have to support their loans, it appeared essential to reduce effectively the maintenance costs of the building.
To this extent, the design was settled with a unique vertical circulation. This one, located in the first building along the street, leads to generously lighted landings. The second project block is linked to this circulation with a footbridge, which is connected to the flats with an exterior passageway. These features altogether (footbridge, passageway, balconies…) gather the flow and the animation of the buildings in a unique central space, which stimulates interactions between people and the creation of strong bounds.
3/ Low energy towards low construction and maintenance costs
The environmental concerns in addition to the need of reducing maintenance costs, led the design towards passive solutions. Firstly, the only vertical circulation, completed with the footbridges and passageways, enables 85% of dual-aspect flats. All rooms are facing East or West and are largely bathed with direct sunlight in order to take advantage from the heat gain.
On the other hand, heat losses are limited thanks to triple glazed wooden windows. Secondly, to keep up with this logic, thermal bridges were eliminated with a careful design of the facades. They are composed with two layers of thermal insulation: 10 centimetres inside, and 20 centimetres outside. Finally, solar panels placed on the roof warm up 40% of hot water used by the apartments.
