Valenton Housing / Gelin-Lafon

Architects: Gelin-Lafon
Area: 4454 m²
Year: 2013
Photographs: Filip Dujardin
Building Engineering: COTEC
Commune: Valenton
Country: France

Valenton Housing, designed by Gelin-Lafon in the Pompadour urban development zone, fosters community interaction through its innovative layout and design. The project features two buildings: a four-story housing block with stores on Avenue Duranton and a three-story block on Rue Roland Roche. A central tree-filled garden courtyard connects hallways and split-level apartments, promoting communal space and social ties among residents. Various flat types incorporate expansive exterior areas that blend shared and private spaces, challenging the stigma associated with social housing. The design includes detailed facades of enameled ceramic and broad woodwork, emphasizing quality and enhancing resident self-image while remaining adaptable to the evolving environment.

The agency chose to design a building focused inward on its courtyard and residents, envisioning a modern social utopia where people live and share a piece of the town.

The project is situated in the Pompadour urban development zone, a neighborhood characterized by an orthonormal and regular layout with buildings lining a secondary road and intersected by long green expanses. It consists of two buildings: one with four stories of housing above retail spaces on Avenue Duranton and another with three stories of housing on Rue Roland Roche. A tree-filled garden courtyard in the middle of the site, at hill level with the highest water mark, connects hallways and split-level apartments.

The buildings offer various types of flats, from small units to spacious ones, including penthouses and split-level apartments, accommodating different living arrangements. All flats feature expansive exterior spaces that bridge shared communal areas and private spaces, countering the stigma often associated with social housing. Unlike typical social housing, these buildings provide a genuine blend of private and public spaces, with meticulous attention to façades made of enameled ceramic and broad woodwork. This quality design reflects the architects’ commitment to respecting residents’ self-image and their perception of their living environment.