Young workers residence and nursery, Porte des Lilas

A floor of common areas with a view onto the city

Positioned at the end of the 20ᵉ arrondissement, Porte des Lilas, the building stands out for its slenderness and texture. Bringing together several programmes, it fits into a typical Parisian volumetry by the recess of its upper floors. Covered with a mineral skin of black brick, the monolith is cut along two fracture lines that reveal a precious interior. These two moments of rupture have an effect both on the urban level and from the point of view of use. The first is horizontal, formed by an open third floor, and brings together all the common programmes (media library, sports hall, etc.) arranged freely on this plateau overlooking the city. The second cut is a vertical gap that brings natural light into all horizontal and vertical circulation. The collective spaces at the heart of the building are thus bathed in light and open panoramically to the urban landscape.

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The two different programmes – a hostel for young workers' and also migrant workers' - were not intended to be joined together. Our desire to rethink the link between the place and the inhabitants led us to group all the common spaces on a single level, overlooking the Porte des Lilas.

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This sharing allows for a tenfold increase in uses and encourages meetings. It allows the emergence of a social space, a public place within the building itself. The inhabitants become citizens of a small world irrigated by the flow of vertical circulation.

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This shared space constitutes an interface zone between several programmes. Here, the characteristics of two environments that are both united and separated - the private rooms and the common areas - are mixed and balanced, giving rise to new possibilities of use.