Social housing ZAC Claude Bernard
Paris, France - 2011

The building is part of a recently developed area in the North of Paris (19th district).
The main volume of the housing is 10 stories high and measures 45 x 32 m. A small patio lights up the center. Shops situated on the ground floor and offices on the 1st floor complete the building. All apartments are double-oriented and have a generous outdoor space such as balcony, roof, terrace or loggia. The outdoor spaces enlarge naturally the living rooms and dining area. The loggias are about 10 m²; their dimension allows the comfortable placement of a table.

The apartments are laid out on a grid of 3m20 and offer a multitude of types from studios to large 4/5 room apartments. One of the major topics has been the possible evolution by combining the apartments and adapting them to new situations over generations. The plan, composed of modules allows to reorganize and to resize the apartments.
A 30cm low parapet allows vertical openings and assures comfortable natural light in all rooms.
Solar panels on the roof provide hot water.
An underground parking area on to levels contains 78 places, storage rooms and a large department for cycles.

The building is well insulated on the outside face of the facade. The top skin is made of polycarbonate cellular panels of three different degrees of transparency. (Transparent, translucent, opaque).
The skin provides a depth (profoundness) to the facade by its transparency, while a film behind the panels uniforms the background. Reflected sunlight gives the building its special flair.