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The project originated from the need to update and modernize a residential complex originally built in 1965 for the Crous. While the initial plan was to demolish the remaining four buildings and replace them with new structures, the design team chose an alternative approach: transforming the existing buildings that had architectural merit, while adding a new building to complete the program. The concept was shaped by a desire to preserve the buildings' heritage while addressing contemporary needs, including modernizing living spaces, improving energy efficiency, and enhancing student life. The design emphasizes unifying the complex with a new external skin, creating a cohesive architectural language while respecting the distinctive qualities of the original structure.
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The renovated student residence responds dynamically to its urban context, particularly its prominent location on Boulevard de la Viosne. The design introduces a new external skin of folded steel that creates a striking visual effect through reflective surfaces, engaging with sunlight and the surrounding environment. The building’s gable extension asserts its presence on the boulevard, transforming the area’s skyline while fostering a connection between the student residence and the urban fabric. The external transformation not only enhances the visual identity of the site but also ensures integration with the surrounding landscape. The courtyard and outdoor spaces, now accessible and better defined, contribute to a greener, more engaging environment for residents and the community.
The new cladding, made of folded steel, not only enhances the aesthetics but also provides thermal improvement, addressing energy efficiency through enhanced insulation. The existing concrete structure was preserved, reducing the environmental impact of demolition and rebuilding. Additionally, the building’s design incorporates a perforated mesh on the top floor, improving natural ventilation while maintaining energy performance. The careful reconfiguration of spaces, both internal and external, ensures maximum comfort for residents while adhering to sustainable principles.
The project is a thoughtful transformation of an outdated student housing complex into a modern, efficient, and aesthetically engaging environment. The key strength lies in its delicate balance between preserving the architectural heritage and embracing contemporary needs. The most defining characteristic is the introduction of a unified external skin of folded steel, which reinterprets the building’s volumes and provides a cohesive appearance. The steel cladding reflects sunlight, creating dynamic visual effects throughout the day, while the perforated mesh on the top floor adds a striking contrast, offering both aesthetic appeal and practical benefits, such as improved ventilation. Internally, the design embraces complexity and variety, with a blend of different living conditions like half-levels and balconies, making the apartments more dynamic and adaptable. The project also integrates the existing concrete and cinder block elements as part of the interior aesthetic, celebrating the raw materials that form the foundation of the building. Color accents, such as the blue metal staircases and interior furniture, inject vibrancy into the communal areas, enhancing the living experience. Through these thoughtful interventions, the project not only revitalizes the residential complex but also redefines the student living environment, offering an improved quality of life and a stronger connection to both the urban landscape and the local community.
The renovation of the Linandes Mauves residence has revitalized the student housing complex, transforming it into a modern, dynamic landmark on Boulevard de la Viosne. With its reflective steel façade and preserved architectural elements, the building now blends seamlessly with its surroundings. The project demonstrates how thoughtful design can rejuvenate an existing structure, enhancing both student life and the broader urban environment.
Graal is an office dedicated to architecture and urban strategies, which strives to emphasize economic, constructive and material logics in its work. Its projects are developed through an analytical and situated approach, giving a genuine role to investigation, uses and architectural devices throughout their design. Graal aspires to render the specificities of a place and a commission through sober, independent language in relation to its territory. Through a consistent attitude at all levels and a relational approach to space, the projects aim to achieve a positive social and environmental impact. This position, nurtured through close collaboration with multidisciplinary consultants, enables Graal to address all dimensions, from the domestic to the territorial scale, so as to ensure intelligent projects. Graal has been the recipient of several national and international awards. Its practice is further enhanced by teaching and research on project economics and non-decisional language.
