For l’atelier, Nomadic Architecture Studio, this project required converting an old 50 sqm 1-bedroom apartment in the south of Paris into a home for a family of five
Fact File
Location: Vanves, Paris
Area: 50 sqm
Completion: August 2020
Photo credits: Tim Van de Velde
Source: V2.com
L’atelier started the design process with the diagnostic phase to understand the opportunities and constraints. For this apartment, the diagnostic phase highlighted several elements. First, the overall floor plan of the apartment was almost square - an advantage for fitting the required spaces. Despite its small size, it ran from the front to the back of the building and was only 7 meters long. Therefore, every space would benefit from maximum natural light. Finally, the 3m high ceiling offered a lot of opportunities for verticalization. The only constraint was the load-bearing wall running across the width of the apartment. But the wall with three openings, allowed enough flow between each side.
Based on these elements, l’atelier decided to create a living area running from front to back of the building to take advantage of the morning and evening light. This space is staggered to create open subspaces, a kitchen and dining room on one side, and a living room on the other. The entrance is integrated as part of this living area, at the junction of the two subspaces.
l’atelier then chose to design a compact and vertical area for the bathroom and the children’s bedrooms. In the boys’ bedroom, there are two one-meter-high sleeping alcoves: one is located above the bathroom, and the other is under the elder daughter’s bedroom, which is reachable via a staircase in the living room.
Since the two eldest children were soon to be independent, the request was to design the apartment that could adapt and evolve so that there would eventually be only one bedroom left. Therefore, l’atelier staged the project in three different phases, and included a few easily movable partitions in the floor plan. As of today, the apartment can accommodate five people. When the two eldest children leave, the parents’ bedroom wall will be removed to create a bigger living room. Finally, in about ten years, when the youngest boy leaves, the two remaining bedrooms will connect to make a larger bedroom for the parents.
To make the apartment feel more spacious, l’atelier used the same material for all doors and windows; light-colored pine wood from Poland with a generous yet fairly uniform pattern, and very light pine wood for the floor to optimize natural light.
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