Transition, 33 Social housing units, Nantes

The Bois Hardy neighborhood features a typical mid-20th-century urban layout, dominated by large high-rise buildings that have obstructed views for far too long. Today, current real estate developments are guided by connectivity, transparency, and openness to the surrounding landscape. By redeveloping the streets and boulevards, new connections are being created from east to west, gradually restoring permeability to the area.

The project illustrates the transition from 1970s architecture to today’s architecture on several scales: architectural, urban, landscape, and ecological. We are moving from dense, massive architecture to a sensitive, open architecture capable of reestablishing strong ties with the surrounding urban fabric, extending all the way to the suburban neighborhood and the hillsides of Bois Hardy.

The placement of the two buildings facing each other offers numerous benefits for residents’ comfort. The design approach was to achieve a minimum depth (13.40 m) for the two buildings comprising the development. As a result, the units are of particularly high quality: 100% of the units are dual-aspect or cross-ventilated, 100% are accessible for people with disabilities, 100% of the bathrooms have natural lighting, separate or closable kitchens starting with the two-bedroom units, laundry rooms starting with the two-bedroom units, built-in storage starting with the two-bedroom units, spacious living areas and bedrooms, deep, private terraces, and common areas with natural light and/or ventilation.

The project is easy to understand, given the layout of the floors, with a classical design based on a reinterpreted three-part division base, main body, and attic built entirely of brick.