QUARTIER LES GRANDES BORNES Goussainville (France) - 2018

Contexte & enjeux

Les Grandes Bornes is being transformed and is returning to the ordinary life of a mixed neighbourhood in Goussainville.

Without architectural gesticulation, the fine-tuning of the geometries organises rigorous two- to four-storey plans in a rich and varied volumetry. The calmed silhouette is set at the corners by the tallest templates. On either side of the entrance to the district, the two operations of 35 and 32 dwellings, facing each other, speak to each other in a common architectural vocabulary.

Each in its own register, the two buildings thus reveal a “family resemblance”.

The range of materials, deliberately restricted in favour of quality, manages the economy of the project and its details towards the quality of execution and the control of ageing. The colour values are sober, in natural tones of white, grey and ochre. The technical choice of a thermal brick envelope structure ensures insulation.

On the parts exposed to intensive use, the stained matriculated concrete ensures the durability and solidity of the building’s base. Precious aluminium panels highlight a corner or a group of windows.

The simple elegance comes from the contrast of this smooth, reflective material with the rough, matt texture of the handmade brick, punctuated by a few glazed bricks.

A technical feature of the project is the restructuring of an existing car park on two underground levels, which serves as a base for some of the new housing.