Vibratô | Alterlab architectes

Located in a seismic zone and residential area of La Rochelle, Vibratô is composed of 19 dwellings, 5 of which are offered as social housing.

Vibratô is the result of a collaboration between the architects ALTERLAB and the developer EDEN PROMOTION.  Their shared vision of the intrinsic relationship between dwelling and environment resulted in a bioclimatic project that incorporates natural ecologically sourced materials that maximises the use of renewable energy, earning Vibratô the prestigious eco-efficient and low-carbon label E+C-.

Vibratô is a unique project in La Rochelle; with conviviality and sharing at the core of the project’s design principles, creating an architecture of ‘participative living’. At the centre of the ground floor plan, a large communal room and terrace overlook the shared garden, an area designed to be used by all the residents. Independent of this space is a communal studio apartment, that can be reserved by the residents, when they require additional space for visitors. The arrangement of these spaces is managed by the residents collectively. The objective was to implicate the residents in how Vibratô functions and to encourage them to share and exchange amongst their neighbours, reinforcing the identity of community.

The rules and regulations of an individual house were re-interpreted to correspond to a collective housing project. The fan-shaped plan follows the contours of the site on the roadside, whilst the dwellings are accessed via an external circulation that overlooks the road. A mix of 1-3 bed apartments run from north to south, whilst all the living spaces have been oriented toward a large south facing landscaped garden.

Despite the constraints it created, a large weeping willow was conserved on site, consequently becoming a central element to the design of the shared garden. Its preservation is testimony to the determination of both the architect and the developer to maximise the integration of the project into its existing site.

Rigorous sunlight analysis was carried out during early concept stages, which drove the architects toward a play on the roof shape. The resulting saw-tooth roof, reduces shadows on the neighbouring sites whilst also creating an architecture where the duplexes function similar to small houses. To maximise the project’s energy efficiency, the roofs of the duplexes have been topped with solar water heating, whilst the pergola has solar panels that provide shade to the terraces below. Timber clad facades echo the neighbouring marshland environment of Tasdon.

The construction utilises timber to create a high-performance building envelope, that eliminates any potential thermal bridging. Whilst the use of concrete for slabs and the partition walls allowed the building to maximise its inertia.

The exemplary energy performance achieved is due in part to a high-performance heating system and a hot water treatment system, using solar energy and a collective wood pellet boiler. This system operates on 100% renewable energy, with extremely low running costs, resulting in a building that is energy positive with a reduced carbon footprint.