Complete renovation of an apartment in Paris 18, France.
The project concerns the transformation of a 45m² apartment on the 12th floor of the Boucry Tower (named Super 18 at its delivery), a discreet icon of north-eastern Paris. Built by Jean-Robert Delb in 1974 on the edge of the Plaine Saint Denis, it is almost invisible in the Parisian skyline and can only be seen from the main infrastructural axes.
A true reduction of the metropolis by the diversity of the households it contains and its programmatic diversity, it is an example of the successful integration of high-rise buildings into the city. In order to meet the needs of the clients of a hybrid place between living and working, the renovation reduces the servants’ functions of the dwelling to their bare essentials. Bathroom, kitchen, library and storage are integrated into the «service walls», freeing up a large space open to the metropolitan skyline and resembling both a home and an office.
The uses coexist in an open plan and are separated by a large curved curtain modulating the space according to the hours of the day. The project demonstrates the capacity of these large condominiums inherited from modernity to adapt to the evolution of lifestyles through the flexibility conferred by the rationality of their structure and argues for their regeneration rather than their demolition. Text description by the architects.
