French architects a/LTA shared with us their entry for a restricted competition to design a housing project in the city of Rennes, France. More images and architect’s description after the break.
The project offers an improved vertical fragmentation, a “skyline” with volumes of islets. This vertical fragmentation is on the scale of Rennes Métropole (distant views over the city of Rennes).
With the fragmentation required by the planner, the project is organized by vertical sequences with large and private terraces treated as stacked boxes, frames and stainless steel nets evoking vertical gardens.
In the north, the head of the island 1A provides winter gardens to the homes in forming a thermal plug for the flat and also privileged views over the city center of Rennes.
We believe that the project has to be included in its environment, in a cultural and geographical point of view. Our project proposes different sequences to remind the composition of the facades of buildings surrounding the 1970′s of Colombier. These architectures prefabricated facings are used here as successive stacks of boxes with different depths and mesh stretched from top to bottom, sort of hanging gardens, allowing vegetation in the urban center.
This project uses the terraces and balconies as moldings reported on the compact and rational building, important for the energy requirements of the project. Soberly, facades of the building offers large windows with occasional and elegant mesh. On the ground floor, a space for retail and activities are a base with opened hall facing the landscaped gardens inside the islets.
Architects: a/LTA Location: Rennes, France Design Team: a_lta le trionnaire (x2) – tassot – le chapelain Client: Crédit Agricole Immobilier Program: 184 dwellings + commercial area Area: 13,500 sqm Date: November 2010 Images: Courtesy of a/LTA