The aim of the project is to transform the stadium, a generally isolated, intimidating object, generator of “void” around its surroundings, into a real “urban machine”.

Identified by a living façade, this “machine” must be able to live beyond the match days and “communicate” with the “city” at all times.

To achieve this, on the street side, we propose a large portico along the pavement that extends over the public space protecting spectators and the strolling public.

Similarly, on the stadium side, the underside of the stand, liberated of all existing redundant functions is transformed into a “piazza” around which the spectators can find drinks stands, shop and sanitary facilities. This portico, with its undulating and dynamic profile, gives a continuous and unitary base to the façade on the street, extending, like metal canopy under the grandstand.

It underside, made of mirror polished stainless steel facets, shows the multiple reflections columns,  spectators, strollers,… giving the impression of free “floating” between the ground and stand.

This solution has the added benefit of masking all the technical equipment from the street.

• LOCATION : 48 Avenue des Canadiens – 76140 Le Petit-Quevilly FR
• CLIENT : Métropole Rouen Normandie (76)
• LEAD ARCHITECT : B+C Architectes
• BRIEF:  rehabilitation and redevelopment of the Robert Diochon football and rugby stadium, 12 250  places
• AREA : 5 500 m²
• COST : 3,7 M €

The original building, conceived by Gaston Lefol architect in the 1930’s saw its construction interrupted during the war before being completed in 1949. In the 1990’s a refurbishment program largely modified the initial spaces and internal volumes and the building needed a major overhaul to meet new standards of childcare, disabled access and energy efficiency objectives.

Our project consisted of improving the functioning of the day nursery and its transformation into multi-age structure for 78 children aged 3 months to 3 years organized in small sections.

The project also included the refurbishment of the adjoining childcare center and an overall reduction of the overall energy expenditure by 75%.

• LOCATION : Square Alban Satragne – Paris 10^th France
• CLIENT : City of Paris
• DESIGN TEAM LEADER: B+C Architectes
• BRIEF: Major rehabilitation of the day nursery and child care centre A. Satragne – Paris 10th, France meeting the environmental objectives by the city of Paris “Plan Climat Ville”
• AREA : 1 350 m²
• COST : 2,4 M €

Competion for the rehabilitation of the Robert Diochon football and rugby stadium, 12 250  places

Winning project – july 2019

In terms of architectural writing, we chose to create a “bi-frontal” architecture characterized by:

on the street side, a homogeneous frontage with open rain screen cladding in aluminum profiles.

This lightweight screen reveals in transparency alternating game of “plain and voids” revealing the loggias set back and protected by the rain screen resulting in a dynamic and vibrating façade.

On the upper level, the building dematerializes; the cladding becomes wind screen masking the technical equipment on the roof.

on the garden side, a fragmented and deconstructed facade, characterized by large terraces which follow a cascading profile decreasing from the lower to upper levels and fitted with sliding shades allowing for a more intimate shelter.

Each terrace is provided with inbuilt storage and is treated as a real additional “living space” to the dwelling, accessible from the living room, kitchen and where possible from the bedrooms.

Each tenant can “personalize” their terrace, according to his or her needs, choose its use along the seasons and contribute in this way to the construction of the dwelling «in his image and resemblance» within the overall building envelope.

• LOCATION : Avenue du Général de Gaulle – Tremblay-en-France (93), FR
• CLIENT: SEMIPFA
• DESIGN TEAM LEADER: B+C Architectes
• ARTIST : C215
• BRIEF: construction of 41 dwellings for social housing and a commercial space of 320m² for the extension of the adjoining Jacques Tati cinema – Environmental certification: Label Effinergie+ and certification CERQUAL : NF Habitat HQE
• AREA: 3 130 m²
• CONSTRUCTION COST: 5,10 M €

Playtime 1 – Construction of 41 social housing units in Tremblay en France (93)

Structure in the process of completion – photo august 2018

The brief required a building with different office configurations and spaces capable of “being transformed” in a minimum timespan and effort.

Each configuration required the building to be able to create “atmospheres” and to “react” with different performances and characteristics, sometimes even contradictory ones. This for its image but also for its thermal, acoustic and even functional qualities.

The fundamental constraint with this building type is the « indetermination » of the brief which can however become its strength: its « essence ».

Hence our will to conceive the building as a type of “machine” capable of “mutation”, of “transformation”, “disguise” and able to take on different “identities” according to the different uses, seasons and users.

The idea was thus to translate this desire through the use of ”plants” as a façade “material”, capable of changing in time, through the day and trough the seasons, to react to changes in light and climate, in other words to “live”, to “die”, “regenerate” and even to be replaced at low cost.

In addition, compared to the requirement to go beyond the “anomie” and seriality typical of office buildings, the plants allow us to “customize” its environment, its “horizon” at the lowest cost in the same way as one chooses a screen saver on a computer.

For this purpose, the building in its conception is treated in all simplicity with modular, versatile and multi-functional spaces on each floor

A “planted cornice” surrounds completely each floor perimeter with a capacity to create distinct “landscapes” (according to the height and orientation of the façade) which can be maintained, modified or even replanted by the occupants as the seasons go by.

Set desk top height, each cornice line becomes a “natural” extension creating at each floor a floating “horizon” interposed between internal spaces and the city outside.

These elements do not simply have a “decorative” or architectural role, they also contribute to the bioclimatic control of the building.

In the summer, they act as real « filters » by raising the level of humidity in the periphery of the building and bringing cooling by the use of the evapotranspiration effect.

During the day, ventilation is controlled manually by the users with the simple opening of the windows and “cornices” participating in the natural cooling process of ambient air without the use of air conditioning systems.

In addition the planted screen guarantees thermal comfort inside the building by acting as a natural brise-soleil reducing overheating effects in the summer.

• LOCATION : Clichy (FR)
• CLIENT : SEMERCLI / Préférence Homes
• DESIGN TEAM : B+C Architects
• BRIEF : Construction of the office building « les horizons » – Certification BREEAM level good
• AREA : 1 600 m²
• TOTAL COST : 3.7M €

The university building of Saint Martin 1, designed by the architect Guy Autran, was inaugurated in 1994. The main central building is covered with a large textile and steel frame awning, hovering above the roofline with an area of 2 000m². The covering roof membrane on the surface is white PVC with the underside consisting of steel panels with perforated PVC.

Signs of water accumulation appeared early on with several pockets forming after heavy rainfall. On April 19, 1998, the portion of the awning just above the entrance had accumulated over a ton of water and the support structure collapsed, causing extensive damage.

In 2009, 3 panels on the underside of the structure began to fall and had to be taken down.

Our project consisted in identifying the design problems and proposing solutions to prevent pockets forming on the surface and reinforcing fixings for the panels on the underside whilst at the same time preserving the architectural image of the initial structure

The works included :

• replacing the metal arch profiles with the profiles increasing the slope of the membrane
• replacing the entire PVC membrane on the surface
• repairing and reinforcing supports of the underside panels with the perforated membrane

A second phase of works is programmed and will see a major refurbishment of the external facades and metal stairs.

• LOCATION : Site Saint-Martin – University of Cergy Pontoise (95)
• CLIENT : University of Cergy Pontoise – Direction du Patrimoine Immobilier
• DESIGN TEAM : B+C Architects
• BRIEF : Renovation of the awning, membrane, stairs and facades
• AREA : 2 000 m²
• TOTAL COST : 0,6 M €

Contexte

The buildings called  « Buignet – Tournelles » and « Poncelet », belonging to social landlord MC Habitat, are located in the center of Chelles (30km North-East of Paris) close de the churches Sainte-Croix and Saint-Georges, both listed historical buildings which have been restored and transformed into Contemporary Arts Centers.

The two buildings, built between 1967 and 1969, are 9 storey high for « Buignet – Tournelles” and five storey high for «Poncelet ».

The external spaces are composed of green spaces, leisure areas and car parking.

The project

The brief’s aims included improving all the building fabric and external areas:

• consolidation, treatment and safety measures for the prefabricated concrete cladding  with the replacement of all the unstable spandrel panels and all the balustrading  with new aluminum balustrading laser cut to B+C’s designed tree shaped motifs
• the thermal improvement of the buildings with a drastic reduction in energy consumption in order to achieve the BBC RENOVATION eco-label
• the residentialisation and landscaping of the external areas

The process of residentialisation with the creation of people friendly and identifiable spaces for the tenants and visitors was the result of a long urban reflection on the site.

The footpath leading to the entrance halls along the rue des Tournelles plays an important role in the urban connections between the public spaces and the commercial street to the  North.

Instead of privatizing the access points on the rue des Tournelles and to deny its important urban role we have instead chosen to reinforce and valorize the link between the place Georges Guillaume and the commercial street with the creation of a public tree-lined open linear pedestrian “parvis” or open square.

• LOCATION : Chelles (77) – Buildings Buignet-Tournelles-Poncelet
• CLIENT : MC Habitat
• DESIGN TEAM : B+C Architects
• BRIEF : Réhabilitation et résidentialisation de 305  logements collectifs en site occupé, résidence « Buignet-Tournelles-Poncelet »
• AREA : 25 322 m²
• TOTAL COST : 8.25M €

The “L” form building reveals a variable “skyline” ranging from 3 storeys on its southern and western extremities to 7 storeys at the corner of the composition facing what is to become the future public square to be created along the rue Yves Farge.

The construction in alinement of the streets allows us to reinstate an urban frontage and the rising skyline marks the corner of the new “crossroads” to be created.

The set-backs on each floor are treated as green roofs with the flats given access to large timber terraces.

On its western face, the project is set back slightly to create an identifiable public space aligned with the existing social center and at the same time to generate a visual and pedestrian link between the Cours de la République at the front and the rue Eugène Cotton to the rear.

This pedestrian link will thus allow to better connect the residential areas to the North with the social center and the public schools located south of the rue Eugène Cotton.

The façades are treated in paint coated prefabricated concrete panels with vertical joints resting on strong horizontal concrete lines or “casquettes”.

The flats are identified through irregular colour patterns. Our aim is to make each dwelling or group of dwellings identifiable from outside, to give social housing the same quality and characteristic in terms of identity and variety that one may find in individual housing.

• LOCATION : Tremblay-en-France – cours de la république  (93)
• CLIENT : Preference Home / Les nouveaux constructeurs / VILOGIA
• DESIGN TEAM : B+C Architects
• BRIEF : Construction of 108 flats and shops - ECO Homes, CERCAL environment
• AREA :8 900 m²
• TOTAL COST : 13.6M €

The nursery Jules Guesde, built in 1898, constitutes part of the first buildings dedicated to small children which began to appear after the 1874 Roussel law (loi Roussel) which had the objective to reinforce the care, sanitary protection and wellbeing of new born and very young children.

The existing  interior spaces were caracterized by the high quality of their generous volumes and widespread transparency in the largely glazed internal partitions which have been preserved as much as possible allowing natural light to penetrate internally into the heart of the building.

The design intent for the project is seen in continuity with the original building, taking into account the value of its architectural heritage and its intrinsic qualities (volumes, natural light penetration,…).

At the same time, it introduces elements of contemporaneousness which, inspired by the vocabulary and characteristics of the original decorations and playing with the reference to the world of plants as a leading thread, translates and presents them in a common theme running throughout the project.

In particular, for the lower ground floor facade this play on references is expressed in the tree form of the new steel columns supporting the 1921 facade and which seem to extend the plant form decorations to the ground below, making them “take root”.

The tree replanted in the courtyard and the soft landscape treatment amplifies this “play of mirrors” between the reel and its representation.

The same creative spirit and architectural treatment gives life to the rear courtyard. The existing blind facade is transformed into a translucent envelope of polycarbonate with a metal mesh serving as brise-soleil.

The polycarbonate allows natural filtered light to penetrate the large volume under the skylight.

The mesh, cut out with tree form shapes, botanical references and enriched with recognizable forms of animals, projects these forms in a shadow play through the polycarbonate.

We remain convinced that the only manner of preserving the nature and character of a place is to participate with our culture and contemporaneousness to the process of the “making” of its history.

• LOCATION : rue Jules Guesde – Paris 14ème
• CLIENT : City of Paris
• DESIGN TEAM : B+C Architects – E. D’Agostino conservation architect
• BRIEF : Rehabilitation of the public day-nursery for 33 children – 2014
• AREA : 620m2
• TOTAL COST : 2.0M €