This new project recently completed by LAN Architecture in the small town of Lormont, is an urban renovation project. Consisting of primarily social and collective housing. This urban development project accommodating roughly 50% of Lormont's population.

The Génicart Lormont's district comprising abouot 10% of the city's territory. It is located near the city centre and adjacent to the town’s main urban and interurban network. The urban and social renovation project by LAN Architecture is very ambitious and it is organized around four different residences, located on the South sector of the district: Saint-Hilaire (387 units), Leroy (114 units), La Boétie (105 units) and Villon (104 units).
 

Descripción del proyecto por LAN Architecture

From suburb to city block; from no-man’s land to urban park

Each residential group is reconfigured into a distinctive entity and follows the logic of the plot area. The renewal of the façades, which is initially designed to thermally insulate the building, opens up an opportunity for a dualistic approach to the rehabilitation. On one side, the rehabilitation has presented an opportunity to generate more space through creating additional rooms, loggias and balconies. On the other, it has defined a new architecture, visibly distinguishing each city block from one another. The three towers of St. Hilaire define with their new envelope a bright plaza and a playground area. Leroy, situated on a wooded hill, creates a bucolic atmosphere. Boétie, positioned around a large central lawn, is reestablished by new landscapes and equipped with linear seatings, offers open green spaces for families. Villon, situated at a crossroad in the heart of a forested area sheltered from wind, offers sunshine in the afternoon and a space for relaxation, hidden from major traffic at the esplanade Saint Hilaire and peripheral highways.

The parking areas are entirely redesigned, rationalized and concentrated around the site’s edges. As a result, the absence of vehicles will create a genuine urban park area at the foot of the buildings. Within this park, wooden and concrete elements will be placed to serve as transitional spaces, terraces, retaining walls, abrupt shifts of the levels and playground areas. Each space creates a network of wooden and concrete landmarks, pedestrian pathways and meeting places between the housing groups. These defined elements will contrast to areas of lush vegetation. The wooden and concrete structures are characterized by their spatial qualities and will thus function similar to classical elements of the romantic garden such as follies, bandstands, pavilions, belvederes, terraces and fountains, and will complement the existing landscape to create an urban park. Thus, the spaces between each residential unit and crossroads will be marked by green zones.

Saint Hilaire

The St. Hilaire’s esplanade is completely redesigned as a public outdoor space to be in balance with the surrounding dense vegetation. This space is focused around a children’s playground, thus creating an area for interaction and community building between the young population of the neighborhood. This is achieved through an easy to access, three tier compact structure, entitled «Quartier général» The first two tiers of «Quartier général» are used as playground, with the third tier operating as a public terrace. The structure is formed out of wooden frames with perforated metal sheet cladding, providing safety and privacy for the children. The outdoor area features two slides, a trampoline, climbing nets, adventure courses, all 25m x 4m, rising up to 6 metres high. The playground arouses curiosity and attracts families, which will stimulate activity and community in the neighborhood. This unique public facility on its own serves as a source of pride for residents. The playful and sports facilities in themselves have tremendous potential for urban development because they project directly on the image of the neighborhood.

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Architects
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Collaborators
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HEQ Consultant.- Agence Franck Boutté. 
Landscape.- BASE. 
All-trades engineer.- Beterem ingénierie.

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Client
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Domofrance.

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Dates
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2009-2014.

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Location
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Genicart district (33). Lormont, France.
 

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Program
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Rehabilitation of 709 housing units.

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Photography
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LAN Architecture.

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Benoit Jallon. 18th May 1972 Grenoble (fr). Fascinated by the body’s structure with its logical organisation, layers and strata, Benoit Jallon first turned to medical studies. However, his need for involvement and creativity soon led him to begin studying architecture. He graduated from the Villette School of Architecture in 2001 with a special mention from the jury. Curiosity and a thirst for knowledge have led him to travel widely, particularly in Italy.

Umberto Napolitano. 27th November 1975 Naples (it). Umberto Napolitano began his architectural studies in Italy and completed them in France at the Villette School of Architecture where he graduated in 2001 with a special mention from the jury. He rapidly developed a critical approach to the separation between theory and practice. In parallel with his architectural education, he also worked with a number of architects. His involvement in Franco-American workshops has given his work an international flavour and allowed him to absorb other cultures and skills.

LAN (Local Architecture Network) was created by Benoît Jallon and Umberto Napolitano in 2002. LAN has received several awards: the Nouveaux Albums de la Jeune Architecture (NAJA) prize awarded by the French Ministry of Culture and Communication (2004); the International Architecture Award from the Chicago Athenaeum and the European Urban Centre for Architecture, Art, Design and Urban Studies, the Archi-Bau Award, the Special Prize at the 12th World Triennale of Architecture, Sofia (2009); the AR Mipim Future Projects Award and the Europe 40 Under 40 Award (2010). In 2011 the office was awarded at the LEAF Awards with the Best Sustainable Development in Keeping with its Environment prize and at the SAIE Selection Awards.

 

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