Arches Boulogne, France
In May 2016, Arches Boulogne, located on a former industrial site in the suburb of Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris, was completed by French architecture firm Antonini Darmon. The social housing block has a Neoclassical aesthetic courtesy of a white concrete façade surrounded on all sides by colonnade rows.
The building, which cost €4.2 million, accommodates 33 apartments and forms part of a wider redevelopment project of an area that was previously dominated by Renault car factories.
The classical-style arches are intended to frame views as well as provide the facades with shading from direct sunlight.
The building is multi-oriented, meaning that the balconies width surrounding the seven storeys depends on the direction they face. Narrower terraces facing north maximise natural light exposure, while broader walkways on other sides protect against summer heat.
The building is also designed to collect rainwater which is treated onsite to relieve pressure on the existing urban drainage system.
According to the architects the building, “works as an ecological hamlet, inviting people to meet, talk and reinforce a more environmental behavior.”
Content and images courtesy of Antonini Darmon.
[edit] Find out more
[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings Wiki
- 416-420 Kent, Williamsburg.
- Cabin Straumsnes, Norway.
- Eiffel Tower.
- Gaia Building, Ecuador.
- Hyperion, Bordeaux.
- JTI Headquarters, Geneva.
- Mirage - Montparnasse Tower renovation.
- Occitanie Tower, Toulouse.
- One Hyde Park.
- RB12, Rio de Janeiro.
- The Movement, Greenwich.
- UNIC, Paris.
- US Embassy hotel plans.
Featured articles and news
England’s railway heritage from the air. Book review.
Identifying interim heritage areas for a neighbourhood plan.
Inspecting and reporting on moisture-related problems.
Will Norway build the world's first floating tunnel?
Domestic Retrofit training course.
Preparing to sell a commercial property.
Local Plan Route Mapper and toolkit.
Thermal mass in buildings.
CIAT's AT Academy.
The UK's most dangerous industries to work in.
Civil engineering apprenticeships
Achieving an alternative route into the profession.