maison edouard francois: urban collage social housing

‘urban collage’ by maison edouard francois, champigny-sur-marne, franceimage © paul rafteryall images courtesy of maison edouard francois

upon being faced with the task to revive a housing block in champigny-sur-marne originally built in the 1970’s, french firm maison edouard francois decided to keep the existing mix of styles and reinterpret them in an unexpected way. comparable to the stacking of the classic orders in the roman colosseum, the different housing archetypes were positioned to rest atop one another, the townhouse making up the foundation supporting the 1950’s multi-storey housing blocks, topped with single family homes. each layer is visually independent of the others, maintaining all of their characteristics and unique materials.

approachimage © paul raftery

the slender townhouses are clad in vertical copper and zinc panels or traditional ceramic tiles, while the next level is covered in a neutral grey plaster and the individual dwellings keep their off-white hue and their classic orange roofs. new timber structures are added to the buildings with several decks giving every resident an exterior space.

front facadeimage © paul raftery

although each typology does not need to be holistically integrated, they are carefully positioned in such a way that their structural skeletons are consistent and transfer loads successfully to act as one coherent ensemble. a network of new entries to the several paths, courtyards and added retail spaces ground the project integrally into the site. the several axes on which each house is oriented provide a wide variety of living situations, each with their own properties of ventilation, exposure to light and sight lines.

image © paul raftery

image © paul raftery

stacking of housing typologiesimage © paul raftery

traditional houses resting atop a larger housing blockimage © paul raftery

town houses side by side clad in different materialsimage © paul raftery

rear terracesimage © paul raftery

entranceimage © paul raftery

contrast of contemporary metal siding against traditional ornamented ceramic tilesimage © paul raftery

site plan

section

elevation

render of the complex

project info:

program: 114 social housing unit, retail, parkingclient: paris habitatteam: maison edouard françois, intégrale 4 (structure), nicolas ingénierie (mechanical engineering), pre carre (landscape architect)                          area: 9,000 sqm  net floor area  budget: 14,3 m €competition: 2006construction permit: 2008delivery: 2012environmental label: label h&e (habitat & environment)