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Ruby red in Montpellier (34 - France)

Gleaming façades, suspended balconies, metal pergolas... You can't miss Version Rubis!

Gleaming façades, suspended balconies, metal pergolas... You can't miss Version Rubis! For the facade of the Marianne Urban Development Zone (ZAC) in Montpellier, the programme stands out with its contemporary materials and predominant red colour. The architects, John-Paul Viguier and Associés (Paris), wanted a strong visual identity, and furthermore respected the recommendations of Architecture Studio, the ZAC coordinator. This residence of 81 apartments (ground + 9 floors) is thus constructed on a base of architectonic concrete, like the other buildings in the ecodevelopment, thereby ensuring the unity that is vital for the ZAC.

One of Version Rubis' most striking features is the impressively-sized suspended walkways. There is an eye-catching succession of indentations and projections. Thanks to a metal structure, the main body in concrete can support suspended balconies... with overhangs of up to ten metres! Suspended balconies project out to the west, continuous balconies cover the east facade and there are large suspended terraces to the south. All of the apartments have a balcony or a terrace. Inhabitants reach the continuous balconies from the bedrooms, via French windows. Individual shutters protect inhabitants' privacy. The whole constitutes a homogenous volume, covered with a random combination of four shades of red - with metal surfaces and sliding shutters. In front of this facade, perforated sliding panels in lacquered aluminium enable the concealment of the windows, balconies and loggias, thereby giving the building a continually changing image. L-shaped, the buildings surround a central garden of 160 m2. Located at the sub-basement level, the concave area is planted with majestic palm trees.

The main body of the building (floors 2 to 5/6) is coloured red. The last three floors, and the first floor are set back and covered in a white rendering, with classical lines and large openings. The windows are protected from the sun by vertical dark grey external blinds and horizontal sun-screens in a white-steel colour, mounted on a fine steel construction.

Some split-level apartments have openings on two or three facades, enabling them to benefit from sunshine and natural ventilation. On the west side, the facade looking over the garden has three large suspended balconies (in aluminium with wooden floors) each with four levels. "These atypical spaces are effectively outdoor rooms for the apartments. Floating in the trees, they offer a new way of living outside in an apartment building," comments Jean-Paul Viguier, Architect and Founder of Jean Paul Viguier and Associates. "The architecture is light and elegant, like a ruby, and the jewel's red colour and iridescence is recalled by the exterior," adds Philippe Ribouet, president of Nexity Promotion Languedoc-Roussillon.

Part of an eco-development, Version Rubis also impresses with a concern for diversity (20 apartments sold to young families buying for the first time), thermal performance (external thermal insulation, argon-filled double glazing, wood-fired heating network covering 100% of heating and domestic hot water requirements) and the convenience of its location: lines 1 and 3 of the tram, close to the Odysseum leisure and shopping centre, the international airport, beaches, the A9 motorway, the new City Hall and the historic town centre. "It's hard to tell the difference between the initial sketch (the invitation for tenders was in 2009) and building as we see it today, which is rarely the case," concludes Jean-Paul Viguier.

The Profils Systèmes touch

"The building is covered with aluminium," emphasizes Jean-Paul Viguier. "Profils Systèmes products were selected on the basis of price and aesthetic criteria". Profils Systèmes and its client Alfa Fermature manufactured and installed aluminium windows from the Pazco® Factory Spirit® range. Pazco® Factory Spirit® is a range of windows and French windows with concealed closures and thermal breaks (with 30 mm polyamide strips, and PVC rebate on the window) inspired by the manufacturing process. The range is suited to the contemporary design of this building thanks to it fine, simple lines that allow the magic and spirit of the place to be expressed. Furthermore, the Pazco Factory Spirit® range of windows and doors meets the requirements of the 2012 TR and VHEP, HEP and BEPOS (energy positive) certification. It should also be noted that the metal sections in Profils Systèms' Pazco® Factory Spirit® range bear the "Made in France" label.

Programme: 81 apartments over nine floors

Location: Montpellier, avenue du Mondial 98, Zac Parc Marianne

Delivery year: 2013

Contracting authority: NEXITY GEORGE V

Structural Engineers: ANDRE VERDIER

HVAC Engineers ENR Concept

Acoustics: Socotec

Project area: 6,000 m² net floor area

Cost: 7.5 m€ ex. tax

Type of assignment: Design and supervision of work, including interiors and landscaping

Certification: LEB Effinergie

Photos : Takuji Shimmura

Ruby red in Montpellier (34 - France)

Details

  • Rue Alfred Sauvy, 34670 Baillargues, France
  • Signature Magazine / Profils Systèmes

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