{"id":10484,"date":"2014-10-05T09:01:07","date_gmt":"2014-10-05T07:01:07","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/tetris-2\/"},"modified":"2015-06-22T13:27:24","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T11:27:24","slug":"tetris","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/tetris\/","title":{"rendered":"Tetris"},"content":{"rendered":"

The commission for this social housing project came from SIEMP, a public enterprise whose surgical, case-by-case approach responds to the city\u2019s revised urban renewal strategy.
\nContrary to the 1980s-90s policy of razing entire blocks, today Paris prefers to maintain what can be maintained.
\nMoussafir Architects\u2019 Tetris houses were part of a larger regeneration program for a squalid neighborhood in Northern Paris: delinquency and unacceptable living conditions were the challenges to overcome. The action plan developed in close cooperation between the city,\u00a0local associations and the landlord included new and refurbished low-rent housing, as well as studios for artists and musicians.
\nLed by urban planner Patrick C\u00e9leste, the project was shared between seven architectural teams. Three plots entrusted to Moussafir Architects were sited on two narrow streets separated by a low-rise housing block; a garden in its middle enabled visual interaction between the two parts of the project. Surrounded by massive 1960s buildings, this tiny fragment of the city retained its faubourien spirit and scale.
\nThe project was shaped by the desire to respect the neighbourhood\u2019s scale and density while maximizing space and daylight available to future residents. The houses are perfectly aligned with their neighbors; the two rue du Nord buildings even have a one-family home neatly\u00a0sandwiched between them.\u00a0The intention to blend with the context is emphasized by exterior treatment: lime stucco echoes the texture of surrounding facades; most window openings have traditional proportions.
\nThe shutters are covered with the same kind of stucco so that\u00a0closed windows almost disappear on the facade.
\nThe only articulated elements are the extensions of living rooms: large frame-like juts constructed from iroko wood.\u00a0Standards established for social housing severely restrict the size of apartments. Tetris uses a series of design solutions making the most of the available resources. The compactness of the plots made it possible to build no more than one apartment per floor. Ground floor apartments are suited for residents with reduced mobility; a strip of private micro-gardens\u00a0serves as a buffer and privacy screen for ground floor tenants. Taking advantage of the front and rear facades\u2019 North-South orientation, living rooms are given a double aspect.\u00a0The difference in ceiling heights \u2013 3,40 m for the living room and 2,60 for the bedroom \u2013 amplifies the apartment\u2019s day zones. This was achieved through staggered, Tetris-like
\narrangement where the first-floor bedroom is placed upon the ground-floor living room, and so forth, creating individualized layouts for each unit. Full-height, wood-framed bow windows serve as distinguishing marks for each apartment, while opening the living room towards the\u00a0street. Ateliers and apartments are designed identically, acknowledging the blurred\u00a0boundaries between contemporary home and workspace.
\nThe banal and the exceptional coexist in Tetris houses. Recognizing the value of ordinary things, the project contributes to the continuity of urban fabric, and at the same time enhances it by adding unique features. Besides, the use of basic materials allowed redirecting part of the budget for improved quality of living spaces.<\/p>\n