Description

Located on a corner lot of an important east-west thoroughfare in Lyon, two solitary volumes are offset from one another to form two small squares – one towards the heavily trafficked intersection, the other towards the quiet block interior. The floor plan of the 20 m deep volumes is characterized by several concentric spatial layers wrapped around one another: a narrow access corridor is located in the middle axis followed on both sides by a layer containing the stairwells, elevators and entrance halls, and bathrooms of the individual apartments. Following this is a ring of connected living spaces with predominantly two access points each, opening up their potential use to interpretation. Surrounding these interior layers is a double-skinned facade, which while providing a traffic noise buffer also imparts the buildings with their monolithic character. Loggias and the kitchens, which remain open to the living space, occupy the space within the double facade.

Within this strict organizational system, various divisions and connections, set either parallel or perpendicular to the structural layers, allow the creation of differently sized apartments and floor plans: small and large apartments, duplex units, some of which have double-height living rooms and loggias, and on the top floor, apartments with patios located on the buildings’ perimeter. On the sides of the patios, small spaces are created between the double facades, with views in almost every direction.

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Originally published in: Oliver Heckmann, Friederike Schneider with Eric Zapel (eds.), Floor Plan Manual Housing, fifth revised and expanded edition, Birkhäuser, 2018.