LE CRYSTALLIN Lyon (France) - 2014

Contexte & enjeux

Built in 1964, at the corner of Brotteaux and Part Dieu, the former 7-storey headquarters of Grand Lyon Habitat has been the subject of a conversion programme by the Cardinal Group. An ambitious rehabilitation and extension operation, which places this element of Lyon’s architectural heritage in the present and future of the Rhône capital.

At the junction between the Brotteaux and Part Dieu, the building has been converted, renovated and extended. Elevated, it offers two thirds of its initial surface area and allows for the upgrading of its energy performance.

Densification, mutation, conservation of architectural specificity, modernisation and extension rather than demolition and reconstruction. A green space in the heart of the block, planted terraces, and a glass-lined façade give the original building a new lease of life. The transformation preserves the architecture and enriches it.

The choice of real estate also led to the revaluation of the interior spaces, for the greatest possible flexibility in the layout of specially designed floors. Innovation has led to improved use and comfort.

The monumental staircase, the elevation and the thickening of the south façade are the argument for the revival of an original volumetry that had been totally absorbed by the evolution of the district. The new silhouette is now aligned with the Boulevard Jules Fabre. The development of the curved lateral facade, all glass on the stone building, raises the old building into the vocabulary of the great height, on the scale of the Part Dieu district of today.

Photographs 1,3,5,6: Guillaume Perret
Photographs 2,4,7: Erick Saillet