the new cardinet chalabre by LAN architecture


french LAN architecture has won the competition to design the block 4.2 of
the new cardinet chalabre urban development zone in paris. the competition
was organised by ICF novedis.

the ilot is located between boulevard pereire and the new ZAC (urban development
zone), creating a kind of transition between ‘black and white photograph’ paris
and the three-dimensional 'grand paris' project. ensuring this transition was
the core concern underlying LAN architecture's strategy, which involved trying
to understand the fundamentals of the haussmanian typology.

the project’s conception is based on the regularity of its facade. the interplay of
matter and transparency defines the envelope of the ensemble, which for urban
planning reasons has to take up the entire plot, and therefore have the same ground
plan. 

each apartment is organised around a large loggia, an extension of the interior living
space outside. in winter the loggia can be closed to create an additional living room,
despite the cold. in summer the loggia helps ventilate the interior.

the arrangement of the loggias creates an interplay between matter and transparency
across the facade. clad with wood, the loggias become its recognisable elements,
enlivening the regularity of the windows, so that the building, seen from a distance,
expresses itself from within, like a colour chart.  

the regularity and size of the openings and the ceiling height render the building’s
definition in terms of use ambiguous, and the choice of structure reinforces this. only
the facades and circulation core are load-bearing, leaving maximum freedom for
the arrangement of each floor. the building can therefore change use in the future
when required.









south elevation



east elevation



section view





site plan



floor plan



floor plan

project info:
programme: 40 housing units and retails
location: ZAC saussure pont cardinet, ilot 4.2, paris 75017
date: 2010
client: ICF novedis
cost: 5m euro excl. VAT
size: 3200 m2
timetable: 2010 - 2013
3d rendering: IDA+