Rue de Lourmel Project by TVK Architectes Urbanistes

Description of the project by TVK

The Corner, 30 social housing units & commercial space.

The compact, sculpted volumes of the corner building are visible from its four sides and announce the two other buildings within the block. It comprises 30 social apartments and a shop. Although different and more urban in appearance, it is in the same spirit as the buildings in the centre of the block. The treatment of the upper levels gives the eight-storey construction its very specific silhouette.

The entrance hall, in the passageway leading to the middle of the block, is sheltered by the cantilever overhang, which accentuates the construction’s urban dimension to give the building compactness, densify the plot and highlight its position on the street, the exterior spaces were replaced by a communal roof terrace accessible to all residents. The housing units have very large plate glass windows creating a privileged relationship with the exterior and optimum sunshine, reminiscent of traditional Parisian workshop buildings. The self-supporting profiled glass envelope gives its monochrome facades unity and luminosity.

Prismatic building.

In compliance with the City of Paris’ Climate Plan and the client’s surface area requirement, the project decided to give each housing unit large windows compensating for the absence of exterior space. These windows open entirely on to a living room or on to a living room and one or two bedrooms depending on the apartment typology. These large windows give residents a privileged relationship with the exterior.

Each housing unit is bathed in light yet can be shielded from the sun by exterior blinds – a system made possible by the building’s compactness. The spirit of the project is reminiscent of traditional Parisian workshop buildings opening on to the city outside.

Programme allocation.

Most of the building’s almost square base is taken up by shop space on the ground floor (with a stockroom in the basement). The entrance hall to the apartments, sheltered by the cantilever overhang, is in Allee Marie Skobtsov leading to the middle of the block. The overhang amplifies the urban dimension and the opening into the middle of the block. The 30 apartments on 8 floors are set around a central circulation reduced to the maximum.

From level 1 to 4, the central core serves corner apartments, most of which are dual aspect. The simple organisation of their plans stems from the building’s morphology: halls giving on to corner bedrooms and living rooms. The open kitchens can be partitioned off and complement and increase the volume of the living room. All the apartments have a cellar in the basement.

Communal terrace.

The building’s compactness, its position on the street and the commercial space on the ground floor deprive it of a communal courtyard. Yet residents can share an exterior space accessible to all on the 7th floor.

The heart, 24 social housing units, shelter, 101 rooms in the retirement home with day centre and crèche.

Located in the heart of a vast block adjoining the Front de Seine quarter, the project comprises several programmes. The overall implantation concept is the idea of a constructed landscape. The project is composed of two buildings whose strong, coupled presences complement and balance each other. The west building, containing the retirement home, the day centre for the homeless and the crèche, is a horizontal superimposition of luminous enamelled glass bands. The materiality of the east building is important because it provides light and reflections for its residents and users. The east building, containing the housing units and the women’s domestic violence shelter, is a more slender, sculptural volume clad in Wood.

Urban situation.

The urban planning project consisted in bringing together users and residents of very different ages and lifestyles in one place, around a central, public square (not designed by TVK). The urban situation is very specific: the middle of a vast city block combining calm, vegetation and also a landscape and changing skyline of diverse architecture and distant views. The block and the district have two principal features.

On the one hand, its density is interspersed with pockets of greenery, including tree-covered courtyards, small inner gardens and large planted terraces. On the other hand, most of the buildings have quite a strong presence, with several high or long buildings giving the district its identity, and buildings of more than 10 storeys directly overlooking the site. The towers of the Front de Seine district also provide a distinctive backdrop.

Several programmes in two buildings.

The horizontal, luminous west building houses the retirement home, the day centre and the crèche.

The matt, sculpted east building comprises 24 social housing units and the shelter. These two buildings’ strong, singular and complementary architectures balance one another. They give the project a dual presence that helps vary ambiences and reflections.

Shelter and 24 housing units.

Open & luminous.

The building to the east of the central square comprises 24 social housing units and the 25-room shelter.

Unlike the west building, this building houses only adults and families, all of whom benefit from direct contact with a green space, facing either the central square, the garden between the building and the EHPAD (retirement home) building, or their own inner gardens or terrace gardens. This building also opens generously on to the reflective surfaces of the EHPAD, benefiting from the luminosity this creates.

A unitary volume.

This building is a sculpted volume, composed in function of the surrounding buildings. Its strong, identifiable form has three unitary parts constructed around a 60 metre-long band running north-south.

The base component, on the ground floor and 1st floor, occupies the entire length of this north-south band with two extensions to the east: one to the south containing the housing units, the other to the north housing the shelter. The second part (floors 2 and 3) is partially superimposed on the band below and has a cantilevered south end. The third, more cubic volume (floors 4 to 6) is set in the middle of the initial band and cantilevered towards the central square on the west side.

Wood.

The building’s compact, entirely wood-clad forms with 15-centimetre exterior insulation are designed for optimum passive energy efficiency. The wood cladding’s warm, sensitive appearance and smooth texture give the building’s volumes maximum expressiveness. The windows are also wood-framed and have exterior canvas blinds.

The shelter.

The shelter is housed in the north half of the building, on the ground floor and first floor, in two parallel buildings separated by a garden.

This calm, protected entity is reached via a passageway leading from the north-east corner of the central square through to the inner garden.

The ground floor contains the reception spaces, communal rooms, offices and 9 living units. The living units are accessed on the ground floor via the garden, and on the 1st floor either by an interior circulation or an exterior passageway.

The social housing units.

The apartments are grouped in the south part of the building. There are two vertical circulations: an interior circulation unit (staircase-lift) up to the 6th floor, and an exterior staircase with passageway leading to level 3. The access to the basement car park is separate. Almost all the building’s 24 apartments have an exterior space. Those with three rooms or more have loggias.

The ground-floor level includes the access ramp to the car park (for the entire complex), communal spaces and 2 apartments. The 1st, 2nd and 3rd-floor living units are organized around a central band with the wet rooms on either side, some opening onto the exterior passageway on the east side. The apartments on floors 4 to 6 are arranged around the central core. Each floor is different due to the successive staggering on the east side.

Retirement home, day centre, crèche.

Composed of staggered horizontal bands, it forms an angle that stabilises the central public square.

The crèche is an independent unit at the end of the ground floor. The rooms of the retirement home are on levels 1, 2 and 3. The offices, the day centre for the homeless, communal spaces, apartments and infrastructures spaces are on the ground floor and levels 4 and 5.