Jaurès-Petit, archi5, Paris

Located on a plot in the heart of a city block occupied by a 9-story parking garage, the project includes two parts: one of 75 apartments for first-time buyers and another of 74 units of social housing. The building with the social housing has a wooden structure whereas the one for buyers conserves the pre-existing concrete structure. The new apartments face east-west. Two broad lateral corridors enable a full-scale greening of the site.

In addition to the quality of the new apartments, the project is aimed at improving the existing built environment, creating harmony and balance between the new and original inhabitants of the site. The building’s footprint, perpendicular to the older building offers broad perspectives. The wooden building on the Jaurès side, displays a visible wooden grid, replicating aesthetic conventions of the older built environment and its visible framework has been transformed into the supporting structure of the balconies. With the strong commitment to preservation and compliance with HQE construction, this project contributes ethical, sustainable and quality architecture to its location. Wood ensures the building’s passive environmental qualities while giving it a warm and visually enhanced appearance.