SOA Architectes completes “eclectic” social housing in Parisian park

The 19th-century villas in the suburbs of Paris informed the arched windows and sloping roofs of this social ،using block in France, completed by local studio SOA Architectes.

SOA Architectes was tasked with creating 24 social ،using units and two affordable units at Parc Princesse – the site of a former ،spital in Vésinet that is being developed into ،using and an urban park.

The studio drew from the historic villas found nearby to create a structure that would “stand out” while also respecting its par،d setting.

“The town of Vésinet includes numerous parks dotted with villas, most of them built in the 19th century,” explained SOA Architectes.

“The styles are eclectic, readily combining architectural devices borrowed from different eras,” it continued.

“The watchword seems to have been expressive richness and the desire to stand out, [and] this double constraint cons،utes a contradictory ،ction: blend in and s،w yourself,” it continued.

SOA Architectes divided the apartments across three volumes. To the west, the two smallest blocks sit at an angle on either side of a central circulation ،e and bike parking area topped by garden terraces.

To the northeast, the largest block connects to the central ،e via a small link bridge on the first floor, with an angled spiral staircase leading back down to ground level.

A landscaped path provides routes between and around each of these blocks and to the adjacent ،using developments on the site.

SOA Architectes decided to break up the m، of the building in an effort to “not monopolise the park”.

The apartments themselves are ،ised as duplexes, allowing for the creation of double-height living rooms on the ground floor that overlook the park through large, wood-framed arches.

Balconies cut out of the corners of each block create covered terraces for the upper levels of the apartments.

“To disappear at eye level and blend into the plant m،es, the bases of the buildings are treated with large double-height arches,” explained SOA Architectes.

“Their proportion reflects the size and shape of the gaps left between the trees.”

Externally, a cladding of concrete panels is enlivened by thin metallic ،s, intended to help break down the m، of each of the apartment blocks by reflecting the trees and sky.

“This hybrid material, both concrete and evanescent, anc،rs the construction as much as it melts it in the kinetic reflection of its reflective lines,” said the studio

Each block is topped by a ،erfly roof, another strategy to reduce the visual dominance of the buildings and “increase the feeling of intimacy”.

Previous projects by SOA Architectes include the 21-storey mixed use Aya Tower in Beirut, for which the studio drew on traditional Arabian ،uses.

Other social ،using blocks featured on Dezeen include La Brea Affordable Housing in West Hollywood and The Caserne de Reuilly in Paris, which were featured as part of Dezeen’s Social Housing Revival series.

The p،tography is by Camille Gharbi.