Interpretation of the Living Unit
On the western coast of France is Dervallières, a suburb of Nantes, which is undergoing a major restructuring. Dervallières is classified as a Sensitive Urban Zone (ZUS), determined by the French government to be an area with fiscal and social issues like high unemployment, little home ownership and a low percentage of high school graduates.
Today, however, the governmentfunded National Agency for Urban Renewal (ANRU) is seeking to revitalize the area by way of increased green spaces and modern urbanism, despite income levels and social challenges.
Based on its history and previous successes, TETRARC was commissioned to play a major role in this redevelopment – and overcome a major hurdle. Our job would be to build a social housing structure that would combat the stigmas related to government-funded or assisted living.
When the concept of social housing was first introduced in the 1960s in Dervallières, the emphasis was on providing basic housing services, such as access to hot water, heating and a bathroom. Today, TETRARC wanted to bring it to the next level – one that’s sustainable, more ecofriendly and reflective of modern ways of living – in order to generate a stronger sense of ownership, pride and identity amongst residents. Yet, with a strong need for social housing, TETRARC was challenged to redesign and implement a new social program for the city that would reflect the history and progress of the past four decades.
The challenge for TETRARC was clear: could be demolished the Mignard skyscraper, stigmatized for its dated 1960s appearance, and replaced with a newer, smaller building with better services and stronger architectural style? In a city like Nantes, this is a question worth asking. The city is home to some noted architectural feats, including the Sillon de Bretagne (one of the largest highrise buildings in Europe), the Malakoff stadium and Le Corbusier’s la Cité Radieuse.
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Materials provided by TETRARC architects
Photographs: Stephane Chalmeau