Housing ZAC Claude Bernard

Social housing with 93 apartments ZAC Claude Bernard in Paris. The building is part of a recently developed area in the North of Paris (19th district).

The main façade – south – faces an urban boulevard – Boulevard Mac Donald. The new tram way under construction will serve the area in a few months. Next to the housing, a school group, offices and facilities have been built. The main volume of the housing is 10 stories high and measures 45x32 m. A small patio lights up naturally the center. Shops situated on the ground floor and offices on the 1st floor complete the building. All apartments are double oriented and a generously outdoor space – balcony, roof, terrace or loggia - are provided for each apartment. 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. A two stories underground parking contains 78 places, storage rooms and a large department for cycles.

Facade – 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 it’s special flair. The facade of the base of the building (shops and offices) is composed by glass and concrete panels.

One storey – Workshops with an open height of 5 meters are situated in the courtyard facing the main building. A delivery area for small trucks is provided. The project proposes a mix of functions in a very high density.

Surface 8375 m²

Competition 01 | 2008
Start of Planning 03 | 2008
Start of Construction 11 | 2009
Completion 11 | 2011