Fraternal Twins
Just a few steps from the Maison de la Danse (House of Dance) and Townhall of the 8th arrondissement in Lyons, the social landlord, Lyon Métropole Habitat, just delivered a package of 63 housing units, half of which are rental units with the other half devoted to low-cost home ownership. Highly committed to urban planning projects with a public housing focus, the rue royale agency is offering here an original composition consisting of two similar yet different twin buildings. Much like a variation on the same theme, they form a homogeneous and harmonious whole characterised by complicity and balance yet avoid monotony by dancing a two-step of slightly varied architectural touches.
Public housing – a breeding ground for the city
Public housing represents a significant share of the work of the rue royale agency. Its inconspicuous architecture is the warp and woof of the city. With much less latitude and limited means, architects incessantly strive to achieve maximum quality through a constant review of various approaches, the absence of vis-à-vis, the habitability of the spaces, privacy, thermal and acoustic comfort as well as the diversity of the outdoor spaces. The care and attention that designers devote to building this breeding ground for the “ordinary city” are always flawless.
The echo is felt throughout this part of town
The project is taking shape in a neighbourhood that has been reclassified while undergoing huge changes since the arrival of the tramway in 2001. There was formerly a 4,000 m² parcel that belonged to the State here that housed a home for young workers. It has now become the mainstay for two operations: the reconstruction of a new home with the same 182-unit capacity to the south, a project conducted by the HTVS agency, and Paso Doble, to the north, driven by the rue royale agency. Paso Doble blends into a perfectly binary environment: two projects, two avenues and two public gardens. The project itself comprises two separate and associated volumes. The main avenues, Paul Santy and Général Frère, are arranged in a V-shape. Both of them connect to a public garden, lending a suburban accent to the frontages completely built up since the 1970s with the units articulated around the central garden formed by the through streets and dead ends. Public gardens, tree-lined paths and central gardens create voluminous free-hanging and greenery spaces creating the atmosphere of the neighbourhood.
The urbane settlement – between continuity and disruption
On the Général Frère side, the urban proposal responds to the continuity of the façades on the avenue. The architecture of both volumes reveals two unique and homogeneous geometries. The designers thus split the programme into two entities: low-cost home ownership units or rental units. The twin brothers fit neatly into this dense urban and residential framework through their contemporary interpretation of the open block. They preserve the same patterns as their neighbours and are separated by huge gaps opening onto the greenery of the central garden. The ground level forms a socle that is slightly set back. With its distinctive black stained concrete, it gives way to a covered passageway for the entrances, providing a more residential look to the buildings.
Splitting the programme into two entities
The architects opted to build 6-floors on two plots to meet the demands of the dual rental and ownership programme. With this design, the building volume could be reduced by using the maximum potential of the ground surfaces of the parcel. Together with a few large units, most of the apartments range from studios to 2-bedrooms. All of the units, whether for ownership or rental, have exactly the same characteristics: interior and exterior reinforced thermal isolation, double exposures, large bay windows, loggias, balconies. This opening out to the abundant outdoor spaces and unobstructed views lends comfort to the atmospheres of the units. They comprise the fluid and formal design of the facades that are all the same yet unique in their own special ways. Large strips with geometric forms provide a framework that brings together several balconies or loggias, thus avoiding the typical monotony of one perfunctory unit per balcony. Rather, a lyrical two-step pattern emerges creating a Paso Doble.
Variations on the same theme
The overall impression encompassing the two buildings and each façade is one of unity without being uniform, homogeneous without a monotonous reiteration. The effect is first obtained by adroitly designing the hollowed-out or salient volumes of the loggias and balconies, further embellished by a graphic shadows. These are complemented by the subtle nuances between the facades on the street that are smoother and calmer than those on the courtyard facades, jostled by their exteriors.
The volume of the attic of the building intended for ownership narrows its silhouette like the corbeling of the ground floor that creates a sort of fluctuation between the two buildings. The clever design of the balconies and loggias offers both a pleasant exposure to natural lighting and a shady refuge in their depths. They skirt any vis-à-vis with the help of perforated plate that is transparent from the inside and opaque from the outside for a back-light effect. Looking onto the contemplation garden, there is no passage or activity. The balconies are designed to be inhabited like living rooms for being outside…inside. The fraternal twins create an architectural resonance through their separate identities. The balconies in bands procure an appearance of strength and elegance. The language is simple with the utilisation of the ETI coating and metal for the iron work, protective detail, occasional metal coatings on facades and in the loggias and barred enclosures of the condominium. Clear grey and off-white tints are used for a calm atmosphere.
The contemplation garden
The tree-lined breach splitting the two plots creates an inaccessible gap between the public garden and the interior contemplation garden, designed by landscape architect Autre Nature. Further along the way, a shortcut through the block opens the way from one avenue to the other. The opening towards the southwest on Paul Santy avenue acts as a sort of skylight for the complex. The central gardens are the lungs of the community endowed with visual features for the enjoyment of the residents. The four ground floor apartments are the only ones with a private garden. The other part of the internal landscape is a shelter of calm and inner space created around a palaver tree, centrepiece of the complex. The transversal nature of Paso Doble beckons the three resident populations to dance to the contrasting rhythms of the urban, public, indoor and private influences.
