In the heart of the 15th arrondissement of Paris, the architects Marie-Odile Foucras, h2o architectes and Bruno Moal completed the Maison Saint-Charles in 2021 for Habitat et Humanisme, Seqens Solidarités and Vinci Immobilier. A beautiful operation symbol of a social and intergenerational mix in a place steeped in history. Communicated.
In the heart of Paris, in a commercial and family district, the Maison Saint-Charles is an atypical and unique place. 310 rue de Vaugirard is home to a unique heritage and a spiritual place steeped in history. For more than 150 years, Maison Saint-Charles has housed the nuns of the Congregation of the Dominican Sisters of Charity of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin.
Today, this space protected from the tumult of the city is transformed to become a place of social and intergenerational diversity. It does so without losing its soul: that of a hospitable, humanist and benevolent place.
To bring it back to life, the actors have developed an ingenious real estate and social program and an atypical partnership arrangement at the service of people and better living together. It includes an intergenerational residence, a rehabilitated chapel, guest rooms, shared workspaces and accommodation, nestled in the heart of a garden planted with trees, some of which are centenarians.
Faithful to its vocation of openness, the Maison Saint-Charles perpetuates its mission of hospitality and solidarity, conducive to encounters, exchanges, cultural mixing. Seqens Solidarités is the owner-lessor and Habitat Humanisme Île-de-France manages it as well as the definition and implementation of the social project, which aims to create a living space dedicated to hospitality, open and mixed.
At the heart of Maison Saint-Charles, the Hors du Temps residence was designed by the architect Marie-Odile Foucras. This residence, of which VINCI Immobilier is the promoter, offers 35 apartments from two to five-room apartments with top-of-the-range services.
Residents benefit from openings onto the wooded area, with vast loggias, roof terraces, large bay windows and a pergola on the top floor. Some terraces are laid out as hanging gardens. Its architecture favors the use of noble materials such as light stone, metal and glass. The decoration of the interior common areas has been entrusted to Tristan Auer, interior designer internationally renowned for his work in residential and luxury hotels.
” The project gives pride of place to green spaces. In this green setting, we had to set up a new building while keeping 80% of the trees located around the perimeter of the plot. A challenge when carrying out work of this magnitude. The buildings have been designed to fit perfectly into the gardens. The apartments benefit from loggias, roof terraces and huge bay windows that overlook this wooded area », explains Marie-Odile Foucras, architect.
To preserve the surrounding green spaces, one of the two buildings of the Hors du Temps residence was built using a “dry process”. All the elements were prefabricated and assembled on site by light technical means, allowing the site to have less impact on the garden and more ecological. This method of construction avoids the implementation of elements or platforms necessary for the casting of traditional concrete, unthinkable a few meters from the trees.
Respectful of the City of Paris Climate Plan, the program incorporates the most demanding quality and comfort standards, such as NF HABITAT HQE certification, and the objective of the Thermal Regulation RT 2012 – 20% guaranteeing controlled energy consumption and greater comfort of life, while respecting the challenges of sustainable development.
The chapel of the Congregation has been restructured and rehabilitated by h2o Architectes. The architect Bruno Le Moal worked specifically on the rehabilitation of the Chapel.
Maison Saint-Charles is a program of deconstruction, reconstruction and renovation. He was able to preserve and restore the existing chapel. The site was inherently complex due to:
– the configuration of the premises with a very limited space. The ground is all in depth with a facade on the street of 15 m wide and a single access;
– the proximity of the metro generates vibrations. This nuisance required the installation of an anti-vibration solution via the installation of spring boxes and the construction of deep foundations;
– the overlapping of several types of fire safety linked to the diversity of products;
– the implementation of a dry sector of the garden building with a mixed wood/metal/concrete structure.
The trees were preserved during the work, they make the link between the different buildings and contribute to the quality of these calm and privileged spaces. The new building on rue de Vaugirard weaves bonds of familiarity with the neighboring buildings while clearly marking the entrance to the Maison Saint Charles. The facades are treated with large cascading bow windows that articulate interior spaces and terraces.
” The inscription in the site also takes place through the qualitative range of natural materials used, such as wood and stone found in neighboring buildings. The project renews the place gently, it preserves the spirit of the place and reveals its qualities in the service of uses and sharing », concludes Joëlle Agarande, architect in charge of the project and the construction site for h2o architectes
In Paris, the Maison Saint-Charles makes room for social diversity