The design of the 50 metres high timber tower began from a deep under- standing of the given site and its designation as a new residential centre at the southeastern end of Paris. At the intersection of multiple flows, networks and scales, the project balances between the monumental and the domestic.

Year: Completed 2023
Program: 77 housing units, shared spaces, ground floor art gallery, restaurant
Budget: 18 500 000 €
Surface area:  Site: 790 m², floor area: 7 329 m²
Partners : EDEIS (structure, MEP), MOZ (landscape), ACOUSTB (acoustic), CITAE (sustainability), ATHLANCE (AMO wood), BTP consultants (security supervisor)
Client: EMERIGE
Environmental approach:  NF habitat Environment (level excellent 8*), Label BBCA new climatic plan, Label E+C- (energy level 3, carbon level 1)

Timber tower in Paris by Moreau Kusunoki - Sheet3
©Moreau Kusunoki

The grid, legible on the facade, comes from the idea of the inhabited wall and it is used as a filter to keep the growing, densely built urban environment at a distance. The design of the frame and its proportions derive as much from a structural necessity, as from the will to emphasize the verticality of the build- ing.

Timber tower in Paris by Moreau Kusunoki - Sheet5
©Moreau Kusunoki

Giving longer proportions to the facade allows it to measure up against the great heights that surround it and participate fully in this monumental land- scape. In contrast to this massive and introverted inhabited wall, there is the transparent base, a public space that aspires to be part of the city and opens onto it.

Timber tower in Paris by Moreau Kusunoki - Sheet7
©Moreau Kusunoki

The attention given to the materiality in charred and pre-weathered wood can also be found in the care given to the layout of the residential units. All have a private exterior space, through which a discrete and respectful link is woven between interior and exterior, nature and city, private and public, towards the budding neighbourhood and its inhabitants.

Author

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