LE CENTRAL Plateau de Saclay, Palaiseau (France) - 2021

Contexte & enjeux

The project is guided by a clear guiding principle: to implement the right amount of material in the best place, i.e. the one that generates the highest quality of housing for a mainly family public of owner-occupiers.

The built forms are simple, forming courtyard blocks, holding the alignment at ground level by continuous plinths. The project includes 10 porches for use (bicycles, pushchairs, shared libraries), creating transparency and porosity between the public space and the densely planted core of the blocks. The organization in plan results in the formation of 14 10m wide gaps, distributing light in the heart of the block, limiting the effects of opposite views, and extending the ecosystem of the garden onto the planted terraces of the first floor.

The architectural coordination work carried out by SUD Architects creates the conditions for a harmonious juxtaposition of different architectural styles. As the same architect can develop several projects within the framework of the given rules, 19 different projects designed by 5 firms are taking place, expressing both the unity and the diversity of this district.