Description of the project by Cédric Petitdidier y Vincent Prioux
“Designing apartment buildings in such a dense city as Paris necessarily implies looking for space planning solutions, to minimise the imposition of close proximity to neighbours on the one hand, and to guarantee everyone feels comfortable sharing the public space on the other. These two dimensions are the key to striking a balance between the quality of the accommodation and the contribution of the project to the district’s pedestrianisation.”
Cédric Petitdidier and Vincent Prioux
Reasoned density.-
The design of the project offering 109 apartments within the Boucicaut ZAC relies on two solutions to lessen the impact of the project’s high density:
Stretching across the project is a courtyard, surrounded by four facades (windows open mainly onto kitchens, bedrooms and a few bathrooms), much like traditional Paris courtyards. This space is as much a public space for pedestrians by day as a garden serving each entrance on the lot. Its dimensions and proportions provide excellent ventilation and allow sunlight to flood the courtyard all day long.
The bulk of the programme is contained within the boundaries set by two strips running perpendicular to Rue des Cévennes and materialised by two solid brick buildings, consistent with the area’s architectural vocabulary. The two strips are linked together at both ends by two suspended buildings, one facing the street, the other facing the park, creating clusters of interlocking blocks: the clouds.
Loggias and terraces.-
The distribution of the apartments inside the strip and cloud buildings gives them distinct and specific qualities, particularly evidenced by their exteriors:
The strip buildings are designed strictly as orthogonal shapes, each delineating a frame enclosing the apartments and their adjoining loggias or running balconies overlooking Rue des Cévennes. The rectangular layout means all corners can be used, (including those on the courtyard’s side), providing a large number of apartments with adequate visibility and orientation.
The design of the central buildings is reminiscent of stepped buildings, where each floor is set back from the floor below, providing space for a terrace. Slightly set back from the strip buildings, the clouds have been carved to create recesses, opening onto wide vistas, without compromising privacy.
