Origami envelope

About a two-hour train ride northeast of Paris, the small town of Villeneuve-Saint-Germain (02) offers quiet living in a historic setting. No more than 2,500 people live here, yet the demand for subsidized and modern homes is on the rise.
 
To create this new 33-unit social housing project, architect Julien Fortier-Durand played with the continuity of the neighbouring buildings while adding contemporary touches: notably, the roof merges into the façade, creating a coherent exterior, while respecting the roof alignment along Rue Salvador Allende. The new building blends into the streetscape while asserting a quiet architectural presence. Clad in flat tiles of three rich colour nuances, the residential building complex received a shimmering, dynamic skin.

The scheme is set within a calm, suburban context, adding density without disrupting the scale of the neighbourhood. Fortier-Durand speaks of “urban courtesies”: by stepping the top floor back and hiding it under the roof, the architect created a three storey-building with a softened mass, responding to the pitched silhouettes of the neighbouring houses. At the same time, he animated the street front with white prefabricated balconies that glow like lanterns on the dark red façade. For the cladding he chose the Saint-Vincent Rectangular roof tile in Fiery Red. Its rendering is identical to old roofs, making the tile an ideal addition to the neighbouring historic buildings. Choosing the exterior material was decisive. Initially weighing slate against clay, the design team opted for Aléonard’s hand-molded flat tiles, both for economical reasons and for their warmth and nuance.
 
Julien Fortier-Durand recalls his thoughts: “It was the first significant project for our young agency, and we really wanted to do the best possible job within a fairly tight budget.” Given the number of listed heritage buildings in the neighbourhood, the architect needed to obtain approval from the Corps of Architects of ­Buildings of France (ABF). Ultimately, the Saint-Vincent tile in Fiery Red, with its textured surface and subtle three-tone finish, was selected for its timeless character and luminous depth.

Extending the tile cladding across roof and façade – a total of almost 1,000 m² – gave the building its unmistakable appearance, reminiscent of an unfolding origami made of tiles. However, the required precision presented the contractors with some challenges: junctions between the planes required accuracy, particularly where roof met wall. Fortier-Durand wanted to eliminate visible roof edges to create a clean line: “We installed an embedded gutter in a colour close to the tile to make the edge invisible.”
 
Around large, glazed doors aluminium pre-frames ensured the tiles could be laid seamlessly. Almost every unit got an outdoor extension – be it a garden, balcony or terrace onto a leafy park. Inside the block, a landscaped courtyard integrates the parking behind a shared green space. “Demand for housing was very strong among eligible residents, and the feedback from those living here has been very positive,” concludes the architect.