competition 1996, project 1997-1998, realization 1999-2000
"Two distinct urban situations characterize the housing project in the 14th arrondissement of Paris: on one hand, the blocks facing the Rue des Suisses and the Rue Jonquoy and on the other, the courtyard with high fire walls at the back (îlot).
Our two apartment buildings on Rue des Suisses and the Rue Jonquoy are incorporated in the frontage, typical of housing blocks in many Parisian arrondissements. Verticals characterize the overall design of the relatively homogeneous façades of the adjacent buildings. As in most Parisian quarters of the 19th century, the street thus conveys certain elegance despite the fact that the individual buildings are not particularly attractive. Our two apartment buildings with their folded frontage and folding shutters fit seamlessly into the vertical arrangement of the frontage. The folding shutters can be adjusted individually by tenants so that, in spite of the targeted homogeneity of the façades, the overall impression of their appearance varies. As in the neighboring buildings, the flats are accessed via a central staircase, with a concierge checking the entrance on the Rue des Suisses.
The situation in the courtyard in the back was entirely different, because there were no predetermined urban specifications to use as a typological basis for the project. How should one go about planning the flats? What city-planning strategies should be pursued? What kind of buildings, what kind of architecture should be placed there?
