36 Ferragus

Hugo Hébrard

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PietriArchitectes has designed a new housing project named 36 Ferragus for the city of Aubervilliers. Delivered in 2021, this rehabilitation project is part of a requalification operation for the downtown neighborhoods of Aubervilliers. The studio decided for a wood construction building, and prefabrication system for the extension part, two booming construction methods that have been able to meet the constraints of the project and its environment.

photo_credit Hugo Hébrard — Hugo Hébrard

Urban context: The city of Aubervilliers and the agglomeration, located in Seine-Saint-Denis, have launched a vast operation to requalify the downtown neighborhoods by 2030. The ZAC Moutier was created in this context, site of the operation of 36 Ferragus. This ZAC redraw the links between the neighborhoods through the removal of unsanitary habitats and the renovation or demolition of degraded habitats. The new projects are part of a long-term approach called «Aubervilliers 2030». The 36 Ferragus project was established on the Heurtault block which urban situation is at the edge of the city’s hypercentre and close to the metro station «Mairie d’Aubervilliers». The urban fabric of this block being old and degraded, its requalification aims to propose a new development to offer a better living environment to the inhabitants.

Project Design: The 36 Ferragus project is part of a heterogeneous sector consisting of collective buildings and individual houses. The small plot originally features an early 20th century residential building and garage. The decision was to keep the building and build a new extension instead of the garage. This game of opposition between the old and the new constitutes the soul of the project. On the street side, the extension is set back from the preserved construction, this space allows the inhabitants to access the buildings. A gap has been created between the two buildings, consisting of halls and walkways that establish a real physical link between the two buildings. This gap allows to see through the volumes, assuring a perception of porosity towards the heart of the block, and opens the urban fabric. The existing building has been completely renovated while conserving its original appearance. The cellar was lowered, and all floors were changed to ensure a good safety and durability of the building. In echo to the extension, the main building is equipped with a one-storey elevation, carried out with the same aesthetic and technical characteristics as for the extension.

Program: The project provides 15 social housing units to the city of Aubervilliers. Both buildings have a double orientation and generous bays allowing to bathe each apartment with light. On the courtyard, the dwellings look upon a green space which is also visible from the street.

Taking place in a narrow street and a small plot, the design of the project quickly focused on prefabrication. Wood construction has proven to be the most suitable for meeting both the site constraints and sustainable development requirements. The wood prefabrication allows the setting up of a construction site with low nuisance for the neighborhood and a speed of execution as the final assembly is carried out on site. The principle of CLT construction has been adopted, this technique consists of layers of solid wood stacked perpendicular to each other to create a structural material. With this process, the extension rises on 4 floors, it includes two dwellings per pallier and the elevator, which cage is also designed in CLT wood. The renovated building includes the staircase and one apartment per floor. The last level accommodates a wooden elevation built in prefabricated CLT wood similar in all respects to the annex. The two main buildings are connected by an external footbridge. The street facade of the extension was designed as a tableau, as a graphic element that contrasts with the weft and sobriety of the existing building and its original brick facade. In this way, a game of material, of contrast between hollow and full, is played between the anthracite zinc and the slatted wood, drawing skewed frames around the bay windows. In strong contrast, the two facades dialogue together thanks to the bridge between them and complement each other. The harmony is established between the two buildings by the choice of raw and natural materials dear to the architectural writing of PietriArchitectes.