a perimeter block
This project focuses on the redevelopment of a block located in an area of the Île de Nantes occupied by a number of semi-industrial footprints composed of warehouses and industrial premises with quite disparate outlines. Our proposal seeks to reconstitute an urban fabric with qualities consistent to the identity of the district, by combining a strict street-side alignment with varying dimensions, while giving careful consideration to new porosities and pathways within this vast block.
residential ground floors
Ground-floor organisation has in particular been given special attention, in order to make an asset of the need for residential occupation at this level. The two lower levels are thus occupied by evolutive townhouses which have a small forecourt on the street side and a small private garden by the main courtyard. Taking advantage of the large height of the ground-floor level (4 m), these houses could easily be transformed into offices/workshops combined with living quarters on the first floor. This specific typology of houses with direct access onto the street, and the frequency of collective stairwells, increases the number of interfaces between streets and dwellings and contributes to the quality of the public spaces.
Dual-aspect dwellings
The frequency of the vertical circulation cores also enables the generalisation of a typology of dual-aspect dwellings which goes hand-in-hand with a clear and distinct definition of the facades (smooth and punctuated by regular fenestration to the north, pleated and deep to the south).
a picturesque landscape
The volumetric distribution of the project is reinforced by the variations in the colour of each core building, where shades of grey oscillate from ochre to violet, with metal parts in more vivid tones (handrails, fences, stairway screens) providing a sense of continuity throughout the entire block. All roofs are treated with zinc to conceal all the minor technical facilities deep within the roof structure, and to avoid the need for safety railings.
