Borde 71

Construction of 19 housing units on five floors.

Constructed in 1968, the Borde 71 building is a rental property whose street-level first floor comprises commercial premises, topped by 19 apartments spread over five floors. The building consists of two clearly separated volumes. The semi-buried base has two levels. The upper block has four levels. The first level of this second block, slightly set back, delimits a series of covered balconies that emphasize the break between the two parts. It faces rue de la Borde only, while the upper three floors are continuous.

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Almost sixty years old, the building required a complete overhaul, both for its energy performance and for the comfort of its tenants. The desire of its owner and those responsible for the project was also, from an architectural point of view, to rejuvenate the exterior appearance of the building in the spirit of its designer.

From an energy point of view, the building met the requirements of the late 1960s. Interventions therefore concerned the facades, which were insulated, the windows, all of which were changed to incorporate triple glazing, the shop windows, also replaced, and the new front door. The heating system was modified by replacing an old oil-fired boiler with a new gas-fired one. The roof, which was already insulated, was fitted with solar panels of two types: photovoltaic for electricity production and thermal for domestic water pre-heating.

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The work was carried out in the presence of the tenants. To enable the kitchens and bathrooms to be fully renovated, however, it was necessary to partially vacate the apartments for the duration of the major works. To this end, two vacant apartments were set up for temporary occupancy. Tenants were invited to take it in turns to vacate their apartments for a few days, just in time for the worst of the work. This permutation, two by two and a week apart, was organized vertically by apartment column. This kept noise and inconvenience to a minimum. This choice was reinforced by the use of 3D modeling software to analyze the building before any work was carried out. This preview of the work avoided any unpleasant surprises or delays.

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One of the aims of the project was also to give the building a new lease of life. To remain in the spirit of the designer, nearly sixty years ago, but with the aim of energizing the architectural concept of the double volume, a major coloring job was undertaken. The upper volume was marked with broad bands of color, alternating warm yellow and white. The lower volume is uniform, a deeper grey than before, but brightened up by the yellow of the shutters, which echoes the stripes of the upper part.

Finally, the caesura between the two volumes, formerly marked by a concrete railing, has given way to a glass railing, supported by metal elements cadenced to the same rhythm as the former supports. In the end, the Borde 71 building has taken on a new, more youthful appearance, differing according to the angle from which the alternating vertical stripes are seen. As a result, motorists - of whom there are many on this stretch of avenue as it begins to curve - have two different views of it, depending on whether they're driving in one direction or the other.

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