Housing, Clichy-sous-Bois

On a strong site characterized by large ensembles of the 1960s, consistently oriented in the directions north/south and east/west (depending on the planning of Bernard Zehrfuss), and contrasting against the wood of Bondy, the architect Paolo Tarabusi has focused on the sun. For him, the main constraint of this operation was bioclimatic, providing guidance for housing to the south while offering views of the forest to the north. Indeed, the plot of the project is located along the Rue Jean Moulin, a long, diagonal artery that on one side abruptly stops the city of the '60s, and on the other, defines the edge of the regional forest of Bondy. 'The vast expanse of trees to the north and east and large-scale buildings to the south face each other suddenly and without transition. The volumes of the three plots are "twisted" between city and woods,' says the architect.

Structures of five levels in torsion, the building volumes return to vertical, punctuating the artery so that the colours evoke the front of the forest. While capturing and storing a maximum intake of solar energy, the building envelope minimizes heat loss (building blocks of clay, precise woodworking and joinery, low emissions glazing, re-vegetation on part of the roof of the buildings). Heating is provided by a condensing boiler, and up to 40% of hot water is produced by solar panels. Not only does this have the requirements of the Habitat & Environment certification label's profile and low energy consumption (BBC), it characterizes the quality of housing accomplished by Tarabusi.