A 'Village Vertical' Outside Paris
John Hill
17. avril 2018
All images courtesy of Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel
Village Vertical, the proposal by architects Sou Fujimoto, Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel in collaboration with landscape and urban design firm Atelier Georges, was selected in the Métropole du Grand Paris competition for the Rosny-sous-Bois site.
Under developers La Compagnie de Phalsbourg and REI Habitat, Village Vertical proposes, in the words of the design team, "a literal piece of city which will complete the existing services and commercial offer on site [and] will stimulate a new dynamic for the neighborhood with a rich, mixed-use [program]" for local residents.
The images here reveal an almost mountainous form that relates to the scale of its surroundings but also integrates nature through a timber structure and large planted terraces. The design recalls a 2016 proposal by the same design team for a 50-meter-tall timber tower in Bordeaux, France.
Rosny-sous-Bois is located in the eastern suburbs of Paris, about 10 kilometers east of the French capital. The designers call it "one of the most dynamic territories of the Parisian Metropolis."
The stepped profile of the project responds to the low-scale domestic area to the south and the taller commercial buildings to the north.
The 50-meter-tall timber structure is envisioned as "a very strong landmark for the entrance to the town of Rosny sous Bois."
The building program consists of 17,000 m2 of housing (5,000 m2 social housing) and 5,300 m2 of office space, with 6,000 m2 of "convivial" space with a food court, day care, community centers, rooftop bar, sports hub, gym, and so forth.
The residences feature planted exterior spaces.
