OLD IS THE NEW ECO
RE-USED DENSITY
Supervision by Visiting Professors Christelle Avenier and Miguel Cornejo (Avenier Cornejo architects) from Paris
DEALING WITH WHAT IS ALREADY THERE
All buildings are mortal. The passage of time affects the shell, but even more so the use. It is not unusual for a building to be 100 years old, but what building can claim not to have changed use in the last century or more? The illusion that only the new is attractive no longer works. Whether it is an awareness of the patriotic value of what has already been built, or the necessary sobriety imposed by the new climate regime, the mood of the times has changed: first reuse, transform, before demolishing. Paris is also one of the most compact cities in the world, notably because of its small size and its Haussmannian heritage. This is a major issue in terms of cohabitation and quality of life, and it remains an incredible asset. Let’s not forget that density and compactness are synonymous with carbon sobriety: a major lever in the fight against urban sprawl and soil artificialization, as the latest eco-report reminds us. The issue is not therefore to stop building, but to find ways to build differently: to reuse as much as possible of the built environment, to give priority to quality, geo-sourced and bio-sourced materials, to produce careful, contextual and environmental architecture, to design in a more flexible way with reversible buildings, and to contribute to new construction techniques.
JOINING THE POST CARBON TRANSITION
At a time of global warming, we have to "build less, and differently". If architecture must position itself for a high-quality energy transition in the building sector, it seems to us essential that it act in the direction of the community by realizing buildings that are both exemplary as requalification (here office in housing and cultur) than responsible at the level of its architecture. Materials, construction, electricity, heating, carbon is everywhere in buildings, from design to use. The best way to reduce emissions from this sector, which is one of the most carbon-intensive, is not to demolish in order to rebuild, but to conserve in order to store, and to adapt forms and materials to create buildings that are more virtuous in their operation and urbanity. The principle of rebuilding the city on itself is not new, but carbon is radically changing our era. It requires and questions all types of heritage and all project times.
How can an office building be transformed into housing? Can we live in a car park? Can we garden on a roof? How can a single-function building be converted into a mixed-use program? How to consume less and offer more? How to live in basements? How can we have more garden in town?
WORKING WITH THE EXISTING
The subject is located in the north of Paris, Boulevard Macdonald, near the Saint-Denis canal, is a wealthy and mixed neighborhood in a changing sector. It gives to see heterogeneous constructions, of aspect as well as height (modenature, brick, plastering, threaded balconies...). Well served (metro, train, tramway, bike rental), it is an intermodal hub on a regional scale. The project, located at 105-109, boulevard Macdonald in Paris in the 19th arrondissement, will have as its program: « Old into New ».
We are going to transform an office building into housing; in a city where the demand for housing is ever increasing. We are going to transform three floors of underground parking into a quality cultural space and facilities (music, art, theater,). To propose a new perspective on the act of building and (de)building by getting involved in waste limitation and intelligent consumption of resources. We will also work with the re-use brick to look for new implementations through a 1/1 scale prototype.
The city we will know in 2050 is already here, and we are living its preamble. The promise of buildings capable of coping with global warming and the depletion of resources that simultaneously combine three commitments: conservation, adaptation, transmission.
Kick-off day / Friday the 3 of March
Excursion / to Paris 27 to 31 of March
Mid-Term / Friday 12 of May
Regular weekly meetings / Fridays 14h-19h
CHANAGE OF DATE
FINAL PRESENTATION / TUESDAY 04 of JULY
