Révéler les rivières souterraines

Les gorges sont l’archétype du paysage karstique. Les rivières, au fil du temps, creusent leur lit dans des strates de calcaires et de marnes. Le cours d’eau principal n’est pas le seul acteur de ce décaissement ; il est accompagné par de nombreux ruisseaux souterrains. Ces derniers sont explorés par les spéléologues et amateurs de grottes mais sont invisibles dans le paysage comme celui de Moulhoc. Les gorges du Tarn comptent plus de 141 rivières souterraines affluentes.

Sa révélation est induite par une dérivation de son chemin par l’insertion d’une structure pliée en acier galvanisé. Ce bec métallique se suffit à lui-même ; il se place parfaitement dans l’entaille de la falaise pour s’y fixer. Le pliage métallique se perche en haut de la corniche pour supporter le ruisseau et l’abandonner dans le vide. Cette chute d’une cinquantaine de mètres suffit pour altérer son dessous en révélant sa nature et son débit.

Minimum Cost

Minimal transformation of the Super Chapelle tower, Paris.

Today, designing architecture with a minimum of cost is the essence of contemporary architectural awareness. The cost of a thing is the amount of money needed to obtain or to make. The price, on the other hand, designates the value of the transaction of which this thing is the object, it is an estimate. The cost is therefore opaque to the value of the object, and the value of a thing depends on how much we value it. A house built by the hands of its owner has a much higher subjective value. Another way of understanding value is the perception one may have of an object. The perception of the object may vary depending on its context or the place where it is located. How to design with a minimum of cost for a maximum of effect in a high-rise building with a high density in the cheapest district of Paris, Porte de la Chapelle?

To be interested in the transformation of the Super Chapelle Tower with a minimum of cost does not allow for the treatment of all the stacked dwellings, but rather to be interested in the ground floor, which is frequented on a daily basis by continuous flows of inhabitants from their dwellings to the district. However, the ground floor, whether covered or in the form of a private garden, has no value for its inhabitants. The first step of the project is to expose the reinforced concrete structure of the ground floor to reveal the spaces, the views and the potential sunlight. Subsequently, the project offers new «threshold» spaces between inside and outside for collective spaces where affect comes into play. The notion of generosity is added to the qualities of the ground floor with the insertion of objects supporting new uses such as a sewing workshop, a resource centre or a space for teleworking. The augmented ground floor becomes the generous support for sharing, learning and relaxing for the tower’s inhabitants.