Barrault Pressacco

The replacement of a slabbed shopping centre by a new district joining accommodations, activities and shops around ample public spaces represents a major challenge for the city of Bobigny. This project’s development implies a significant co-ordination between five architecture agencies engaged in the operation, all invited and led by TVK ↗). Fundamental principles are shared, guiding the formal and constructional choices, and produce a strong overall cohesion. The buildings’ mineral facades are massive and structural. The first building, comprising fourteen floors, superposes three volumes. An overall regular weft adapts to each of these volumetric ruptures. The structural facades in rough concrete allow subtle offsets while maintaining vast openings on each of the faces. The second building, comprising eight floors, explores the maxi-brick at the limit of its structural and regulatory possibilities. These building choices largely contribute to the overall sustainability of this new district, as much as they participate in the renewal of Bobigny’s identity.