Three sisters on the banks of a canal

In Pantin, France, Avenier Cornejo architectes have erected three buildings on the banks of the Canal de l’Ourcq. They contain a total of 88 apartments, are arranged in a semicircle and enclose a small courtyard that opens onto the canal.

88 housing units Pantin, Brick Award 22 Category "Living together", Architects: Avenier Cornejo Architects. view at higher floor from outside — © copyright: Schnepp Renou, Simon Schnepp und Morgane Renou

A complex of three buildings

The Canal de l’Ourcq flows through the Paris suburb of Pantin. Its banks bustle with joggers and cyclists while pedestrians linger in the cafés, bistros and museums. And it is right here, on rue Danton, that a residential project has been constructed. It is a complex of three buildings housing 88 residential units and a business premises. Together with two existing buildings, they form a semicircle that encloses a small square opening onto the canal.

Three sisters with three identities

The three buildings could be siblings, as they are similar in proportions and design, yet each has its own personality. The design of each is determined by the shape of the plot and its orientation towards the canal. A two-storey orthogonal block sits atop each of the three-storey or four-storey buildings, each of which is shaped to follow the irregular site boundary. Roof terraces are located on the resulting tiers. Apartments facing the street have loggias and those facing the garden have balconies. The most noticeable difference, however, lies in the materials used to create the three buildings. The free-standing structure is made of red brick, while the other two buildings are clad in more subdued anthracite and light grey brick.

Unity in diversity

But even though the three blocks differ in colour, the frames and ornamentation of their façades speak a common language. The façades are designed as grids with slightly recessed, seemingly woven fields and horizontally offset bricks around the window and loggia openings. The hand-formed bricks used for this purpose are laid in stretcher bond with hollow joints. The window sections are set in contrasting Flemish bond with the header bricks somewhat recessed to create a relief effect.

The same bricks were also used to pave the path that meanders through the old trees in the garden. These old trees were specially preserved to provide shade and offer a constant view of greenery. The garden also supports biodiversity as the rest of the plants are robust, local species that require little watering or care. The roofs were also planted and treated as a kind of fifth façade.

This complex project managed to perfectly integrate no less than three buildings into an existing built environment. In this way, Avenier Cornejo architectes demonstrate how we can achieve modern community living. A clear victory in the Living together category.