29-01-2019

Python in Grenoble, a building by Edouard François

Edouard François,

Renaud Chaignet,

Grenoble, Francia,

Condos,

As part of the masterplan for the construction of the new Avenue de la Presqu'île in Grenoble, France in the “Cambridge” joint urban development zone (ZAC), the architect Edouard François has designed a building that stands out from the crowd, with a building envelope that is reminiscent of snakeskin.



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Python in Grenoble, a building by Edouard François As part of the masterplan for the construction of the new Avenue de la Presqu'île in Grenoble, France in the “Cambridge” joint urban development zone (ZAC), the architect Edouard François has designed a building that stands out from the crowd, with a building envelope that is reminiscent of snakeskin.


A few weeks ago, we discussed the project called Panache di Maison Edouard François by Maison Edouard François in Grenoble, a standout example of a sustainable building with terraces separated from the actual units and positioned on the top floors of the apartment block, subverting the traditional spatial layout of residential towers.
The studio of Edouard François has now constructed another building in the same joint urban development zone (ZAC). This building has a decidedly defiant look specifically to avoid giving the new build zone an overly standardised look where there is a great risk of falling into the subtle trap of visual respectability of much contemporary architecture. 
Python is the project name and it is the output of an awareness that there wasn't much that could be done with the actual building plan. This was established by the demanding property developer who knows his clientele well and includes maisonettes, large windows overlooking the mountains, all in compliance with anti-seismic building standards and energy saving. The only area where the architect could leave his creative mark was limited to the envelope of the apartment tower.
Since there were no limits to what he could do with the skin of the building, Edouard François wanted to come up with something that would lighten the visual impact of this large piece of architecture. His brilliant idea came to him when he saw the snakeskin effect of a bag in a boutique. The pattern of the python skin is, on the one hand, synonymous with elegance, the message to convey to the client, and that according to the architect would not spoil the ZAC. On the other hand, that same skin enables the reptile to camouflage itself well in its habitat. Which is exactly the intention of Edouard François for this new construction. After consulting with the architect Christian de Portzamparc, who came up with the Cambridge ZAC masterplan, the bag pattern was scanned, digitalised, then “mapped” onto the building which, thanks to this operation, mysteriously blurs, losing all readability. The black holes of the windows and the balconies disappear into these reptilian motifs obtained on the facades “pixelated” with regularly spaced diamond-shaped scales.
This skin that we can only describe as being outside the box hides a sustainable building that takes into account both new technology and passive solutions to improve the volume's environmental impact.
Energy efficiency is achieved through thermal design with a focus on avoiding so-called thermal bridges and the use of very low-temperature underfloor heating, temperature control in individual rooms, insulation of systems and the use of heat pumps according to the COP 6 standard for heating as well as the use of natural ventilation and daylight.
Who said sustainable architecture had to have an austere appearance? In Grenoble, Edouard François proves to us that architecture for a post-carbon city can still be striking.

Christiane Bürklein

Project: Maison Edouard François
Location: Grenoble, France
Year: 2017
Photos © Renaud Chaignet 

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