Aalta

Cenon, France

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Aalta

Cenon, France

Firm

Martin Duplantier Architectes

Type

Commercial › Office

YEAR

2012

SIZE

1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

BUDGET

$1M - 5M

Photos

Arthur Péquin Photographe (1)

What if we stopped zoning? And what if we projected an office building in the middle of a social housing district? The building Aalta in Cenon takes advantage of different economic incentives and of the development of the Bordeaux tramway to create and add density to an active interface between the Palmer social district and a quiet neighborhood of small houses.

In this confrontation of scales, the prevailing theory of “not in my backyard” is here treated in a different way. The residential buildings are oriented to both the gardens and the streets, but this paradigm is changed via this space created for activities, work, services, and exchanges.

The office building is part of an effort to bring functional diversity while responding to entrepreneurial issues: companies attracted by tax-free areas will be changing their headquarters and the buildings will have to be flexible to meet these variables. It offers them greater flexibility in planning and organization and free space with minimal bearing points. However, behind its neutrality, the façade has a dynamic urban aspect: undulating through streams, its white shell seems to be leading a movement in the neighborhood.