RESPECT FOR DIFFERENCE
The 3,833 m² of office space has been transformed into 54 different
housing units. At the origin of these differences, the architect’s
desire to draw his plans by transforming into an opportunity the
contextual constraints that were offered to him within the building:
separation, partitions, stairs.... For Alain Sarfati, diversity has always
been a key value in respecting differences and cultures, and for
housing, a quality that encourages ownership.
A RADIANT AND ALWAYS RENEWED STYLE
The ode to life, to light, to nature have always been the main
themes of his many works. It is by discovering the interior façade of
the building, which overlooks the courtyard, that we are struck by
the personal genius of the architect, who does not seek to respond
to any fashion, any diktat, but to liberate within his unbridled
creativity everything that will offer the inhabitants of the building
an optimized and personalized universe. The façade covered with
silver panels creates a surprise, a delight of light that evolves
with the clouds and the sun. Thanks to this kaleidoscopic effect,
even the apartments on the lower floors directly overlooking the
courtyard receive pieces of sky and sunlight. Fluidity and lightness
are the order of the day. The walkway on the 5th floor offers the
inhabitants a moment of almost emotional stroll before entering
their respective apartments.
It is difficult to be sad in Alain Sarfati’s architectural achievements!
The extraordinary is the harmonious integration of this “enchanted”
courtyard into the tangle of backyards that are well known to our
Parisian eyes, forming a familiar and eminently reassuring whole in
its urban character.
THE PRIORITY OF EVOLVING HOUSING
The Schoelcher Street building is also a real demonstration of the
need and possibility for architects to consider several lives and
changes in use for the buildings built, in particular to take into
account the scalability of housing. Nowadays, the evolution of the
family, the increase in life expectancy and the evolution of the
world of work are completely disrupting the design of housing. The
quality of these must be measured by their ability to transform.
THE 3,833 M² OF OFFICE SPACE
HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED INTO 54
DIFFERENT HOUSING UNITS