La Chesnaie, Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, Saint-Nazaire, Francia, 2016
This twin operation of transformation and densification is sited in La Chesnaie in Saint-Nazaire, an emblematic area for town planning in the 1970s. It falls within the framework of the Ville-Ouest urban renewal project, through which the local council continues development along the ring road between the city centre and the town of Pornichet. Ideally situated between the sea and city centre, this development is surrounded by a green wooded site, beaches and open spaces, a variety of amenities, quality housing and public transport, but it has lost its attractiveness today. In opposition to current urban policy, which encourages the demolition of such areas regardless of their potential, the project proposes long-term requalification through the radical transformation of 40 apartments in one of the existing high-rises, and its densification through 40 new dwellings grafted onto its gable ends, taking advantage of the empty land around the buildings. Each existing apartment benefitted from a 33-square-metre increase in surface and the addition of a winter garden and balcony, without any major structural works or affecting the building’s organisation. Each bathroom was relocated in an existing nine-square-metre bedroom with a window, while a new bedroom was created in the extension and the former bathroom became a storage space.
La Chesnaie, Lacaton & Vassal Architectes, Saint-Nazaire, Francia, 2016
The winter garden is served by a two-metre-wide climate control device consisting of moveable transparent panels with fabric screening. Combined with a one-metre-wide balcony, it was mounted in front of the original facade. The newly constructed apartments, backing onto the existing high-rise, also have a generous amount of space thanks to their winter gardens and balconies. The block’s transformation was more cost-effective than the demolition of the 40 existing flats and the reconstruction of 80 new ones, and ultimately provides apartments that surpass new construction standards. (from the architects’ project description)