Le Buisson Saint-Louis
1983
Le Buisson Saint-Louis, Paris Xe, is an exemplary implementation of the notion of participatory architecture.
It's both an architect's dream and a resident's dream: to invent together the "ideal" home for everyone. The future residents first chose a location, then an architect to interpret their desires.
It's an island on the site of a 19th-century industrial washhouse, a small paradise of permanence in the middle of a working-class, cosmopolitan neighborhood that has never ceased to move socially.
Long, fascinating work, in which each person gathers, at the architect's request, on kraft paper, photos of details or ambiance, of objects or places they love. Group and studio work, drawings, simulations and models.
What's the situation forty years on?
A generation was born and raised at Le Buisson Saint-Louis. Young people have no desire to leave. The parents have learned to manage their own affairs, and have had to face up to the challenge of keeping the place running and maintaining it. To date, not a single family has moved out.
It's a kind of vast, compact bateau-lavoir, a very skilful and playful assembly, a labyrinth of apartments built into one another, with largely glazed façades, opening onto interior outdoor spaces, courtyards, patios, gardens, water features, staircases, landings, columns, passageways, terraces, ramps, central walkways, nooks and crannies worthy of a real adventure playground for all uses and all ages.
Today, when there is renewed talk of "participatory democracy", of the renaissance of "collective individuality", of alternative ways of thinking about, living in and inhabiting the world, why not take a closer look at this experience of "participatory" architecture, full of meaning and humanity?
Location map
Photos of the old building
Drawings
Axonometries
Plans
Cuts
Façades
Cutting details
Participatory architecture
Kohn's Buisson Saint Louis is considered one of the most representative works of participatory architecture in France. The project is the result of a collaboration between Kohn, residents and other participants, aimed at designing a space adapted to the inhabitants.
Transparency
All areas are connected to nature and share views with the other homes, giving this space the feeling of being one and the same.
Photos
Context
This project is located on rue Buisson Saint Louis, between République and Belleville.
Project
Reconstructed entirely in masonry, the small front building that closes off the inner courtyard fits exactly into the volumes of the pre-existing wooden construction. The interlocking duplex and triplex apartments are extended from one building to the next by bridges built between them.
The facade infill was designed to highlight the exposed wooden structure of the building.
Program
Conversion of a Paris Xe industrial washhouse into a wooden structure in :
- 14 housing units, 2 triplexes, 10 duplexes, 2 bungalows.
- Community spaces for services, shared recreation and children Structural work: Tursic Sarl plus ten contractors
Project
Situated on a deep, stretched plot, the washhouse consisted of two timber-framed buildings dating from the 19th century.
The load-bearing structure of the main building has been preserved, the facades have been completely reworked and an intermediate floor level has been created.
The missing foundations have been laid under each column.
Technical Data Sheet
Owner: S.P.C. Le Lavoir du Buisson Saint-Louis Société civile particulière constituted by future residents
Surface area: 1,650 m2/HO 1,300 m2
Design: 1979
Handover: 1983
Main contractor: Bernard Kohn, Dominique Tessier architect assistant and site supervisor
Engineering consultants: ARUP France, Georges Rouch, acoustician
Inspection office: Socotec
Structural contractors: Tursic Sarl plus ten contractors
