The urban renewal operations carried out around the Sillon, a giant building of 900 housing units built in the 1960’s, initiated a dynamic of redevelopment of an isolated district of Saint-Herblain. The reconfiguration of the northern zone of the town continues with the development of the Bagatelle park, a 20 hectares area which will ultimately accommodate 1,100 new housing units. Densification takes into account the natural character of the site, which must be preserved as far as possible. The lots open to urbanization are concentrated on the edges of the park, or even outside, such as lot E, which occupies a plot of 4,100 m² between a school complex and a road.

The 47 housing units of the project are distributed in three minimalist plots, according to a mass plan preserving the large existing oak trees on the plot. The layout and hooks to the ground are particularly neat. The semi-burried car parks open directly to the outside, separated by an evanescent metal mesh which contributes to the landscaping of the site. A vegetated platform partially covers them. The volumes of the housing are placed on the superstructure of the parking lots as if slightly suspended, avoiding contact with the garden and its ground. The gray tint of the concrete suggests a neutrality implicitly giving precedence to vegetation and the environment. The assembly of the accommodation aims for simplicity and clarity: it is made up of platforms of 2 or 4 apartments served by a clerestory staircase. They benefit from a double orientation and habitable balconies extending the interior spaces with a generous space opened to the city and the trees. A lacquered steel structure covers the balconies of the last level: a light crowning reminiscent of the follies formerly established in the Bagatelle park.

Team:

Architects: Philippe Dubus Architectes

Photographer: Julien Hourcade