Narrow strips of pine stripe the facades of this housing development on the outskirts of Paris, making it look like a timber cage has been lowered over the upper floors of every single creating .
Photograph by the architects
Developed by Paris firm Tectône Architectes, the Rue Auvry Housing is located on a former industrial site in Aubervilliers, forming portion of a bigger regeneration of the suburb that lies to the north-east of Paris.
The architects won a competitors to layout the 3 timber-framed structures, which collectively incorporate 39 flats, three shops and a subterranean car park for the local community.
Photograph by Lucile Chombart de Lauwe
The base of each block is concrete, which helps to provide thermal insulation. But the upper floors are constructed around prefabricated timber frames, which have been clad in thin slats of untreated pine.
The strips of timber run vertically across walkways and terraces that connect the levels, as well as walls and sections of the windows – which invites comparisons with animal cages.
“The double skin has a protective part: shading from the southern light and maintaining a comfy temperature during summer as properly as making sure privacy from the outside,” explained the architects.
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The material will slowly discolour with age, altering from golden brown to a far more silvery tone.
Windows and balcony doors are set into deep frames, also covered by the wooden shutters.
These slide into a gap among a double layer of wooden cladding to defend the shutters from undesirable climate and maintaining the clean lines of the exterior.
Photograph by Lucile Chombart de Lauwe
A shop space is created into the street-facing side of each block, although ground-floor flats face secluded gardens and a park to the rear.
“The form of the site provides a lengthy facade linear on street side, ideal for commercial premises, and a direct accessibility to the Square Jean Ferrat on the other side, supplying views on the gardens,” explained the architects.
Further single-storey flats are situated on the very first floor of each block, while bigger duplex residences with double-height balconies occupy the upper storeys.
Photograph by Lucile Chombart de Lauwe
Each and every flat has a double or triple perspective of the surrounding area, with at least 1 balcony or terrace.
“The layout requires inspiration from suburban homes,” explained the architects. “There are 3 buildings and two walkways allowing crossings from street to gardens and supplying a great conviviality.”
Some houses are orientated to give views of a public backyard towards the south of the plot, while other folks are embedded in the roof to guarantee privacy while maximising natural light.
Photograph by Lucile Chombart de Lauwe
The Rue Auvry Housing is the newest in a series of new housing developments in and close to Paris. The city’s tallest housing block in above forty many years was finished earlier in the spring, even though a 52-residency scheme was unveiled on an old industrial website in Nanterre at the end of 2014.
Photography is by Christophe Demonfaucon, unless specified otherwise.
Undertaking credits:
Architect: Tectône – Pascal Chombart de Lauwe, Etienne Chevreul-Demas, Audrey Alcindor
Client: Bouygues Immobilier – Tristan Lucchetti, Xavier Bodeau, Laurence Corda, Clarisse Delon, Emmanuel Ducloux
Development management: B3P – Philippe Porcher, Attila Cinal
Wood framing and cladding: Charpente Houot – Philippe Neurrisse, Alexandre Rei
Principal construction: VFB development – Arnaud Derrien, José Mendes
Roof covering, plumbing, heating, ventilation: UTB – Arnaud Bonazzoli, Corentin Provost
Partition walls and wood finishing: Euromib (Marcel Fernandez)
Electricity: IDEE – Philippe de Almeida
Metalwork: Sucla BRL – David Guiavarch
Gardens and pipeworks: Dufaÿe Mandre – Aurélien Jessionnesse
Engineers: Elithis Ingénierie/Eléments ingénieries/Buchet
Ground floor strategy 
1st floor plan 
2nd floor prepare 
Third floor program Dezeen
