Redevelopment of the former De Bonne barracks was an important step in the drive to launch sustainable housing in France. Originally designed to extend the city centre towards the Grands Boulevards, the estate combines social diversity and multiple functions – housing, retail space, amenities and parks, with easy access and environmental quality. Its carbon footprint – this building, for example, features external insulation that meets the energy-efficient building (BBC) standard – is several years ahead of existing regulations in France. The urban redevelopment project won the 2009 the Grand Prix National for eco-neighbourhoods sponsored by the Ministry of Planning and Sustainable Development.
This building comprises four blocks around an internal park visible from the street through vertical openings between the blocks. There are seven storeys of apartments with commercial premises at ground-floor level.
Five key points guided the project design: environmental quality, comfort, architectural and urban quality, the landscaping of the external spaces, and the modernity of the architecture. As a result, based on an analysis of the compact nature and depth of the building, three main apartment types were proposed:
TYPE 1 – TYPICAL FLOOR LEVEL WITH HANGING GARDEN The street-facing apartments between the first and fifth storeys open on to the exterior through the temporal space of a miniature garden and wooden terrace area (in the style of a Japanese garden) enclosed behind a series of glazed screens. This type provides a system which is both efficient in climatic and acoustic terms and creates a vibrant and animated street facade; articulation of the sun shades is dependent on individual choice, usage and comfort.
TYPE 2 – DUPLEX OVERLOOKING INTERNAL GARDEN Duplex apartments are spread over four floor levels around the internal garden. The facades open on to the landscaped grounds through loggias cantilevered over the gardens or through large glazed bays set within the building line. These double-height glazed openings provide clear views of the grounds from the living areas. Taken as a whole, the residential scale evokes a human community with shared values.
TYPE 3 – ROOFTOP VILLA The apartments on the top two levels are treated as large single-storey villas, leading off landscaped patios. Transversal voids isolate these apartments from each other and imbue them with the status of detached houses. The roofs of the upper-level villas are shaped to increase ceiling height in the living areas and provide views towards the mountain ranges of the Vercors, the Chartreuse and the Belle Donne.
