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The Head in the Three
By : Zaraté + Lavigne architectes
GRANDS PRIX DU DESIGN – 17th edition
Discipline : Architecture
Categories : Other categories in architecture / Facade
La Tête dans l’Arbre is a project to renovate and extend three existing housing units to the rear and add a fourth. When the client commissioned Zaraté + Lavigne to carry out the work, the firm was immediately struck by the presence of trees growing in unexpected places, in the interstices of the courtyards adjacent to the project. The neighborhood is undergoing significant urban revitalization, and these trees are eventually being cut down. The expansion was an opportunity to develop a concept that will highlight the place of trees in the city.
The title « La Tête dans l’Arbre » (The Head in the Tree) was imposed by this tree presence that shapes the extension’s built morphology by leaving an imprint on it. The shape of the side facade arcs inwards to follow the diameter of the trees’ heads. The curved facade was used to insert lateral galleries in the shape of ash leaves. In this way, the project optimizes the outdoor space available to its residents. More poetically, the head in the trees emphasizes the moments we spend from the top of the branches to see the things around us from another point of view.
The masonry of the original portion built in 1899 has been replaced with red brick similar to the old to respect the style of the period. The extension features an original brick color scheme in keeping with the hues of the tree leaves. The selection of colors required colorimetric research. The Brandy Wine brick features the burgundy purple and terracotta red hues of the red leaves, and the bright, airy velvet white brick forms the backdrop for the work. The two brick colors are redistributed on the new facades to create a gradation around a central horizontal axis, as if watching the foliage on the treetops blow away.
The project is remarkable in its reinterpretation of the built volume at the rear and its delicate distribution of colors, whose overall architectural composition is unusual yet achieved with constructive simplicity. The firm didn’t just plant a tree in the backyard, but also created facades that provide a poetic reading of the natural landscape for passers-by to contemplate.
The project is remarkable for its reinterpretation of the built volume at the rear and its delicate distribution of colors, whose overall architectural composition is unusual yet achieved with constructive simplicity.
