Architects: Jakob + Macfarlane Architects: Jakob + MacFarlane
Area: 6600 m²
Year: 2008
Photographs: Nicolás Borel
Structure: Batiserf
Landscape: Cap Paysages
Economic: Michel Forgue
Fluids: Choulet
Acoustic: Jean-Paul Lamoureux
City: Paris
Country: France
Jakob + MacFarlane designed three distinct, mineral-like structures as part of the reconversion of the former Hérold Hospital site in Paris’ 19th arrondissement. The buildings are positioned on a triangular, sloped site shaped by various constraints, such as protected trees and existing walls, and are organized around an irregular grid. The structures, ranging from 5 to 6 floors, are characterized by faceted façades and dynamic silhouettes that respond to their urban environment. The design integrates ecological principles, such as solar panels, rainwater collection systems, and passive ETFE curtains, creating micro-ecosystems within the site. The project emphasizes spatial fluidity, with sliding walls and panoramic views enhancing the living experience. The unified “earth” color palette ties the project together, reflecting the architects’ approach to compact, ecologically mindful design.
In the reconversion of the ancient Hérold Hospital site, conceived by Philippe Madec in Paris’ 19th arrondissement, Jakob + MacFarlane designed three mineral forms on a triangular, tree-planted slope. These forms grow like roots, adapting to site constraints such as protected trees, the existing ancient wall, non-buildable surfaces, and varying elevations. Their shapes result from these constraints and a matrix structure generated by an irregular grid on the floor.
The vertical orthogonal plans, resulting from this grid and site limitations, form the buildings’ structural framework. This structure includes a thick base and horizontal planes with irregular segments on a regular frame, creating the floor levels.
Three blocks, each 5 to 6 floors high, emerge from this concrete skeleton, contrasting with the dense HBM environment. Urbanistically, these autonomous forms create porosities toward the isle’s heart, introducing discontinuity against the HBM wall.
The buildings’ silhouettes and facades feature faceted outlines. From the 4th floor, profiles vary in thickness. Exterior walls develop into long segments separated from the floor by a hollow joint. The best-oriented facades have multiple bays of varying heights.
The apartments are shielded from the urban environment of Boulevard Serurier by various vertical filters: the outer wall, trees, a slightly recessed railing from the balcony edge, and an ETFE curtain that creates a winter garden between the deep balcony (designed as a gangway) and the façade.
Several contractions create a terrace on the top floor. These, combined with aluminum carpentry interrupted by thermal bridges and exterior insulation, enhance the thermal performance of the building envelope, aided by the intrinsic organization of utilities. Similarly, the roofs, equipped with solar panels and planted with sedum, improve efficiency. The ETFE curtain, used passively on a fixed rail, protects the balconies from the wind.
The outdoor spaces function as micro-ecosystems and technical supports for rainwater collection. The balcony edges, made of porous volcanic stone and moss, incorporate an integrated watering system. The ground-floor garden, forming a large green platform in the heart of the isle, follows this ecosystem principle. A walkway runs along the boulevard-facing façades, perforating, surrounding, and joining the isles. The ground shapes a terraced garden topography, defined by low mineral strips and protected by a millstone retaining wall. Multiple green spaces are arranged in a grid, with high-stemmed trees emerging from them.
Bedrooms and living rooms generally face the isle’s heart, while technical blocks and circulation landings face east and north. Apartments develop from central vertical circulations leading to seven units.
From a typological perspective, the plans exhibit a certain fluidity. Sliding walls define the space and create a sense of continuity with the façades, enhancing permeability and flexibility for users. Corridors are minimized, with the entry point serving as a distribution hub opening to the large diagonals of the living room and other rooms. This design directs attention toward panoramic views, aiming to enlarge the sense of space even in smaller areas. Upon entering, the eye is immediately drawn to the outside.
The project is unified by the “earth” color of the railings, exterior walls, and façade panels. It architecturally anticipates environmental constraints and explores the concept of the gangway, balancing compactness with ecological principles and high technical skill.
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Project Location
Address: 19th Arrondissement, 75019 Paris, France
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
