Article source: PETITDIDIERPRIOUX ARCHITECTES

This new social housing residence comprising 92 apartments aims to replace the “Mas du Taureau” hostel which is programmed to be demolished. It is located in an urban development zone within which no other works have yet begun. Intended to house former migrant workers, single-parent families and isolated individuals, the residence must accompany a new page of their life and develop the identity of the future neighborhood. To favor the appropriation of the setting by its inhabitants and its acceptance by the neighbors, the architecture moves away from the codes that generally define the image held by hostels and particular care is taken inside the building to organize the routes of the residents. Laid out as a right angle, the building offers a vast interior garden. The assembly of three small buildings is a pleasant neighborhood scale and allowed the lessor to rehouse former neighbors on the basis of affinities. A specific approach is proposed for each side of the building: the north glazed façade provides transparency between street and garden, placing emphasis on the movements on the access decks. Vertical elements forming fins optimize the provision of natural light and enliven the façade. The rhythmic continuity and the effect of slightly offset projecting fascias assure the link between the two façades giving onto the streets.

Image Courtesy © Sergio Grazia

• Architects: PETITDIDIERPRIOUX ARCHITECTES
• Project: SOCIAL HOUSING RESIDENCE
• Location: Vaulx-en-Velin (69), ZAC de l’Hôtel de Ville, France
• Photography: Sergio Grazia
• Project manager: PETITDIDIERPRIOUX architect, SNC LAVALIN All-trades, sustainable engineering and quantity surveying
• Client: ADOMA
• Program: 92 housing units (78 studio apartments and 14 one-bedroom apartments)
• Surface: 2,180 m2 habitable floor area + usable floor area // 2,460 m2 floor area
• Environmental objectives: RT 2012 (French Thermal Regulation)
• Calendar: Completion March 2015
• Cost: €4.32 M excl. VAT

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