Material and cultural inheritance. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes
10/04/2024.
[Charleval] France
metalocus, MINERVA GARCÍA DE CASTRO
metalocus, MINERVA GARCÍA DE CASTRO
The multidisciplinary health center developed by Combas Architectes in collaboration with the Filiater company is integrated into the urban fabric of the municipality of Charleval, in France and represents an important improvement for the rural area in which it is located, constituting a clear example of the rich heritage local, preserving it through the expression of the vernacular style characteristic of the buildings of the Durance River valley, where it is located.
Through a humble style and recognizing local wisdom, this project was conceived as an experimental laboratory that seeks to value the context and heritage wealth of the area, through the work and use of local stone, which suggests an architectural vocabulary domestic.
The built heritage and territorial development approaches are sources of inspiration that foster a firmly committed and ancestral stance in the face of environmental challenges, which are faced with a sustainability approach where, through different strategies such as natural ventilation or the use of materials locally, reduces the carbon footprint.
Through a humble style and recognizing local wisdom, this project was conceived as an experimental laboratory that seeks to value the context and heritage wealth of the area, through the work and use of local stone, which suggests an architectural vocabulary domestic.
The built heritage and territorial development approaches are sources of inspiration that foster a firmly committed and ancestral stance in the face of environmental challenges, which are faced with a sustainability approach where, through different strategies such as natural ventilation or the use of materials locally, reduces the carbon footprint.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Site plan. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
Plan of the complex. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
Ground floor plan. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
First floor plan. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
Section. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
Section. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
North elevation. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
South elevation. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
Structure detail. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
Caspentry detail. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
Detail axonometry. Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Camille Sonally.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Camille Sonally.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Camille Sonally.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Camille Sonally.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Camille Sonally.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Camille Sonally.
The building designed by Combas Architectes is clearly shown to the patient who approaches it. The volume is rhythmically divided by a structure that marks the interior configuration, the appropriation of the spaces is made more flexible and the modulation of the rooms is encouraged, inviting users to appropriate the evolution of the interior space that allows the spaces to be adapted to the different needs of the centre and the municipality.
The earth plays a key role in the project, this being a local raw material that is used both for the layouts on site and in the form of blocks of rammed earth for the erection of walls and facades, becoming an element that links the project to its location through its colours and construction qualities, something that is reflected in the façade, accompanied by the principle of preserving existing structures and the logic of environmental resilience.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.The earth plays a key role in the project, this being a local raw material that is used both for the layouts on site and in the form of blocks of rammed earth for the erection of walls and facades, becoming an element that links the project to its location through its colours and construction qualities, something that is reflected in the façade, accompanied by the principle of preserving existing structures and the logic of environmental resilience.
Project description by Combas Architectes
Understanding the site
The primary intention of this operation was to equip this rural area with a multidisciplinary healthcare center while preserving and reminding its population, of what constitutes Charleval and Provençale identity: its heritage. Nestled in the Durance valley, the multidisciplinary healthcare centre in Charleval is woven into the urban fabric, bordered by Rue des Aires to the south, Rue Sainte-Thérèse to the north, and Rue Mistral on its western flank. To the north, basket-handle arches - portes-cochères - line up along the ground floor, suggesting the architectural vocabulary of Charlevois carriage doors. Upstairs, the rectangular bays suggest a more domestic architectural vocabulary, along with a light base made of locally quarried and crafted stone extracted and dressed locally, forming a discreet podium that elevates the ground floor above the street level.
Elementary structure
The moment the patient steps into the multidisciplinary healthcare center, the project and its program reveal themselves with immediate clarity. The linear building is rhythmed by a structure that dictates the partitioning of interiors and guides the program distribution. The regular and repetitive North-South grid of shear walls encourages room modularity, making the appropriation of spaces and their specialization flexible based on the healthcare professionals' specialities. This load-bearing grid invites appropriation by the users of the evolution of interior designs. It allows for subdivisions according to the changing and evolving needs of the municipality, thus signifying the project’s sustainability.
Raw materials and transformation
The participation in the project by Filiater (Design office and manufacturer / Supplier of the project’s earthen materials) allowed us to leverage soil resources as raw material for the building structure. The earth immediately available on-site was used in two ways. Firstly, as part of a mixture poured on-site for the shear walls, and secondly, in the form of load-bearing rammed earth blocks for raising the walls of the façades. In this way, it becomes a marker anchoring the project to its territory using its colours and constructive qualities. This is evident on the façade, revealed on the interior face of the south wall, and expressed in the shear walls at each span. Exterior developments also comply with the principle of preserving existing structures, the hydrological capacities of the parcel, and the logic of environmental resilience: when not built upon, the ground remains permeable thanks to the use of permeable grass pavers and earth/stone blends in surface coverings, facilitating water absorption.
Multidisciplinary healthcare center by COMBAS Architectes. Photograph by Javier Callejas.
Environmental approach
The built heritage and territorial development approaches are sources of inspiration that foster a firmly committed and ancestral posture in dealing with environmental challenges. The building’s linearity allows for dual exposure promoting natural ventilation and complementary systems, such as extending the roof by 1.50 meters, which provides shade and protects against overheating. The picture windows ensure generous access to natural light, thus reducing the need for artificial lighting. The use of raw materials has also reduced the building’s carbon footprint. The quantities of steel usually required have been reduced by a factor of ten, and replaced by wood, thereby trapping the maximum amount of carbon for the long term.
Value of skilled handworked at the building's core
Through a humble style and by acknowledging local wisdom, this project was conceived as a measured experimental laboratory where the price is justified not by the commercialized product employed but rather by the manual labor required. The public funds that the municipality decided to invest in equipping the area with a multidisciplinary healthcare center, essential to the life of Charleval, were primarily dedicated to serving humanity, manual labor, and expertise. From there arises a genuine materiality and a direct and explicit illustration of shared knowledge and collective and synergistic involvement around the goal of construction.
More information
Architects
COMBAS architectes. Lead architects.- Margaux Prouvé, Louise Tailhandier.
Project team
Collaborators
Structural engineering and thermal studies.- FILIATER.
Technical control.- APAVE.
Major Work.- KP2.
Frame.- 3L
Exterior joinery.- VERNUCCI
Interior Design.- Provençal Painting Company.
CFO/CFA.- COGELEC
Painting Earth Coatings.- ITHAQUE.
Technical control.- APAVE.
Major Work.- KP2.
Frame.- 3L
Exterior joinery.- VERNUCCI
Interior Design.- Provençal Painting Company.
CFO/CFA.- COGELEC
Painting Earth Coatings.- ITHAQUE.
Client
Town hall of Charleval en Provence.
Area
Net usable area.- 725 sqm.
Exteriors.- 1 500 sqm.
Exteriors.- 1 500 sqm.
Dates
Competition.- 2019.
Studies.- August 2020.
Works.- March 2022.
Reception.- February 2024.
Location
Rue des Aires, 13 350 Charleval, France.
Budget
€ 1.93M
Manufacturers
Earth materials.- EDIFYS (OPC).
Photography
Sophie Delage, Pierre Le Quer, Mathieu Grenier, Éric Grenier. COMBAS Architectes
In 2011, Sophie Delage, Pierre Le Quer and Mathieu Grenier came together to found the architecture studio COMBAS Architectes, which was joined in 2016 by Éric Grenier. Each one contributes a specialty (urban planning and development, structure and interior architecture), which outlines a framework of thought.
The accumulation of intersecting perspectives forms a homogeneous whole, in particular thanks to a common ethic based on work in a triptych: relationship with the earth, relationship with the sky, work with matter. In each new project, they seek to reinterpret these issues by reading the vernacular typology, through modern implementation techniques. Architectural design is approached as a sedimentation of knowledge: each associate approaches the project through their specialty, and thus develops part of the architectural ensemble (location and morphology, urban and landscape integration, construction approach, response to the program, atmosphere and interior setting ), project economics, structure, furniture, lighting management...
The accumulation of intersecting perspectives forms a homogeneous whole, in particular thanks to a common ethic based on work in a triptych: relationship with the earth, relationship with the sky, work with matter. In each new project, they seek to reinterpret these issues by reading the vernacular typology, through modern implementation techniques. Architectural design is approached as a sedimentation of knowledge: each associate approaches the project through their specialty, and thus develops part of the architectural ensemble (location and morphology, urban and landscape integration, construction approach, response to the program, atmosphere and interior setting ), project economics, structure, furniture, lighting management...
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