This project proposes an architectural design that takes the urban context into account. On the public square side, a more institutional character prevails with wide, unitary facades characterised by sobriety and repetition. In contrast, on the road side, the undulating facades give rhythm to the public space in small sequences closer to the scale of the street. The form of the double penthouses takes up this undulating geometry and continues it around the buildings’ entire circumferences. They consequently link the front and rear facades, while fully assuming their role as penthouses. The latter are seen here as a vertical expansion of the building rather than as an additional structure, which is unfortunately often the case with entirely set-back, single storey penthouses.
The architectural approach here offers, on the public square side, facades of the utmost urbanity and civility. The very repetitive framework, single module windows and mineral materials give the facades a highly classical character. The proposed structure offers serenity, stability and durability. It contrasts with the glass architecture of the CEVA train station, which is more an expression of immateriality and speed.
The facade is not a screen pierced with more or less vertical or horizontal windows, but a structural, constructional and spatial system. The latter negotiates the relationships between structure, glass and protection from the perspective of what will be seen from both the interior and urban spaces. Firstly, from each of the living spaces, it acts as a spatial filter, a device through which we perceive the external environment. It is also an architectural system that must remain comprehensible and elegant with regard to the city.
We are convinced that the desired coherence will be achieved by a predominantly mineral architecture. The massiveness, structural strength and durability of the architectonic system is sought here. In this urban context, we do not believe in wrapping strategies or in the myth of all glass, transparency and lightness. Contributing to the built frontage of a new public square is a great responsibility, but a rare and magnificent opportunity not to be missed.
