88 HOUSING UNITS + 1 RETAIL SPACE | Avenier Cornejo Architectes

The Ourcq canal, steeped in history, is a testimony to a continuous evolution. It has precious historical jewels preserved and highlighted, while it continues to evolve to adapt to the needs of urban life. It is on the banks of this Canal that are located the three buildings belonging to the ZAC Grands Moulin de Pantin built by Emerige and Semip. This site, privileged in several senses, is located along the shore and borders the place where will appear a work of art reminiscent of the old chimney of laundries Elis.

It is on the criteria of an exceptional location and a present industrial heritage that we have guided our approach while being aware of environmental issues. For this we wanted to develop the layout of the buildings around this favorable orientation of the place and allow a maximum of housing to enjoy this advantage and the peaceful view of the canal with an elegant and contemporary architecture.

One of the features of the project is the creation of a breakthrough, visible from the square. It acts as a breath, a visual extension of the plant party, extending the island heart. This opening structures the location of the three buildings while forming a separate and coherent whole. The buildings leave an important place in the garden of 878 m² in the ground, which is thought to be a reassuring place.

An interior and exterior link is drawn and made possible with a large number of terraces, loggias and balconies.

The project is conceived as a homogeneous whole, sober and refined, the envelope must answer to the architectural heritage of the city and the qualitative development of this new district. On a weft principle, solid bricks are the identifiable material chosen for this set. Very contemporary, the brick allows a wide variety of uses recognized for its durability and its environmental side.

The environmental part takes part, in symbiosis, with the concept and the image of the project. Outsides, strong elements, emerge to animate the facades of the project following the orientation and bringing a reading of district and an urban visibility.

The three brick buildings each have a specific hue that identifies them. The windows as well as the shutters are in metal-colored aluminum as well as the guards and the underside of the balconies. In the same spirit as the brick, a metallic shade will identify each frame.

This approach leads to transversal approaches that mix scales. In a journey from the general to the particular, we treated the implantation, the morphology, the materiality, the spatiality, the systems and the uses. This approach favors simplicity and architectural quality in order to be part of a sustainable strategy.

The roofs, treated as a "5th façade", are vegetated to preserve the visual comfort of the residents. The greening of the roof promotes landscaping and helps to fight against the heat island effect. These roofs also provide a refuge for insects and birds and fight against fragmentation of the environment. The inertia of the earth mass makes it possible to manage the leakage rate of rainwater and to protect the building against large temperature variations. It greatly increases the insulation of the roof, usually a source of losses.

Local species, robust and requiring little maintenance and watering will be preferred.

The choice of entomophilous and low allergenic plants will bring the double advantage of promoting the biodiversity of insects and birds while limiting nuisances for the neighborhood.