Social Housing rue Castagnary

The new building is aligned on rue Castagnary and recedes in an L-shape towards the adjacent building in the north. Its medium scale ensures urban continuity and the density in this quarter. The building is covered by an envelope of white metal blades, consistent with the dominating color of the quarter. Its vocabulary is contemporary and in line with the finesse and attention to detail some housings in the neighborhood. The rhythm of the openings and the large vertical apertures are inspired by Parisian windows.

The ground level and the first three upper floors follow the alignment of the sidewalk but the façade inclines from the last two levels onwards. The height of the building corresponds to the height of its neighboring buildings on rue Castagnary. The ground-floor consists by a transparent glass facade and offers space for commercial use.

From the first floor on the treatment of the entire façade is homogenous, including the inclined section. It consists of fine white vertical metal blades and sliding panels to open and close adjusted to the different use during day and nighttime. The panels are not only sliding, but also the blades are mobile to ensure solar protection. The windows emphasize the verticality of the structure. The garden-side façades are constituted of a white-lacquered metal envelope laid out irregularly. The gables however display the concrete as construction material. The concrete is apparent from the perspective of rue de Vouillé and presents a layout similar to that of the metal façades hammered on the concrete. The architectural language of the façade ensures the integration of the building within the road and gives it moreover a strong identity.

The play of the mobile panels and the changing inclination of the blades animate the façade. The aluminum frames and the blades have a similar tincture. Cantilever balconies give the eastern edge more ease and add the convenience of a private outdoor space. Each apartment features a south oriented balcony, the windows onto the garden are equipped with exterior shutters. Solar panels are installed on the roof. They are slightly inclined to ensure self-cleaning.

The floors are accessed via the core of the building to the floors. The mail boxes are installed in this open-air porch. From the courtyard, an elevator and an exterior stair lead to the floor corridors. The steel stair is covered by a full-height stainless steel grid towards the garden. The corridors giving access to two apartments are in the open air and ensure thus natural lighting of the communal spaces and ventilation of the apartments. The corridors protected by means of a stainless steel grid offer an unobstructed view over the landscape.

Dietmar Feichtinger Architectes

Project team leader planning: Dietmar Feichtinger

Team planning: Pablo Valdivia, Claudia Valdes, Fancisco Castellanos, Pierre-Alain Bouchetard

Engineers: AR-C – BET Structure, INEX – BET Fluides + Electricité, Cabinet Jean-Paul Lamoureux – BET Acoustique , AE BRETAGNE - Economiste