Architecture

Paris apartment building goes outside the box

Paris apartment building goes outside the box
Malka Architecture says that Plug-in City 75 should be completed by mid-2018
Malka Architecture says that Plug-in City 75 should be completed by mid-2018
View 18 Images
The Plug-in-City 75 from French "guerrilla architect" Stéphane Malka
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The Plug-in-City 75 from French "guerrilla architect" Stéphane Malka
Plug-in City 75 will upgrade an aging Paris apartment building by attaching wooden cubes to the facade
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Plug-in City 75 will upgrade an aging Paris apartment building by attaching wooden cubes to the facade
Plug-in City 75's cubes will increase living space for the residents and improve the building's energy-efficiency
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Plug-in City 75's cubes will increase living space for the residents and improve the building's energy-efficiency
Located in Paris' 16th arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Seine River, the 1975-era apartment building in question is currently a little gloomy, says Malka
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Located in Paris' 16th arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Seine River, the 1975-era apartment building in question is currently a little gloomy, says Malka
Each occupant of Plug-in City 75 will be able to choose what they want to use their new space for
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Each occupant of Plug-in City 75 will be able to choose what they want to use their new space for
Plug-in City 75's lightweight boxes will be prefabricated in a workshop from sustainably-sourced wood
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Plug-in City 75's lightweight boxes will be prefabricated in a workshop from sustainably-sourced wood
Plug-in City 75 will see the building covered in greenery
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Plug-in City 75 will see the building covered in greenery
According to Malka, the addition of plug-in City 75's wooden extensions will improve the aging building's energy performance
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According to Malka, the addition of plug-in City 75's wooden extensions will improve the aging building's energy performance
Plug-in City 75 should be completed by mid-2018
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Plug-in City 75 should be completed by mid-2018
Regular readers may remember French "guerrilla architect" Stéphane Malka for his parasitic shelter, and his new work, Plug-in City 75, is similarly unconventional
10/18
Regular readers may remember French "guerrilla architect" Stéphane Malka for his parasitic shelter, and his new work, Plug-in City 75, is similarly unconventional
Plug-in City 75's cubes will increase living space for the residents and improve the building's energy-efficiency
11/18
Plug-in City 75's cubes will increase living space for the residents and improve the building's energy-efficiency
Located in Paris' 16th arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Seine River, the 1975-era apartment building in question is described as a little gloomy by Malka
12/18
Located in Paris' 16th arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Seine River, the 1975-era apartment building in question is described as a little gloomy by Malka
Plug-in City 75 will upgrade an aging Paris apartment building by attaching wooden cubes to the facade
13/18
Plug-in City 75 will upgrade an aging Paris apartment building by attaching wooden cubes to the facade
Malka Architecture says that Plug-in City 75 should be completed by mid-2018
14/18
Malka Architecture says that Plug-in City 75 should be completed by mid-2018
Plug-in City 75's cubes will increase living space for the residents and improve the building's energy-efficiency
15/18
Plug-in City 75's cubes will increase living space for the residents and improve the building's energy-efficiency
Plug-in City 75 will see the building covered in greenery
16/18
Plug-in City 75 will see the building covered in greenery
According to Malka, the addition of plug-in City 75's wooden extensions will improve the aging building's energy performance
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According to Malka, the addition of plug-in City 75's wooden extensions will improve the aging building's energy performance
Located in Paris' 16th arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Seine River, the 1975-era apartment building in question is described as a little gloomy by Malka, with a general lack of natural light inside the rooms
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Located in Paris' 16th arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Seine River, the 1975-era apartment building in question is described as a little gloomy by Malka, with a general lack of natural light inside the rooms
View gallery - 18 images

Regular readers may remember French "guerrilla architect" Stéphane Malka for his parasitic shelter, and his new work, Plug-in City 75, is similarly unconventional. The novel project will renovate an aging Paris apartment building by attaching wooden boxes to the facade, increasing living space for the residents and improving the building's energy-efficiency.

Located in Paris' 16th arrondissement, a stone's throw from the Seine, the interior of the 1975-era apartment building in question currently looks gloomy and cramped, says Malka.

While the city's building codes prohibit extending the building upward, extending it outward isn't an issue, so the architect designed multiple prefabricated wooden boxes of varying size to increase living space and improve conditions for the residents.

The lightweight boxes will be prefabricated in a workshop from sustainably-sourced wood – presumably treated to increase durability – and mounted directly to the building's facade.

According to Malka, the addition of plug-in City 75's wooden extensions will improve the aging building's energy performance
According to Malka, the addition of plug-in City 75's wooden extensions will improve the aging building's energy performance

Each occupant has the choice of what they want to use the new space for, such as a lounge, for example, and balconies and loggias will also be installed. The facade will be covered in greenery, too.

According to Malka, the addition of the new extensions will improve the aging building's energy performance. Indeed, the press release indicates a very impressive reduction from around 190 kWh per m2 per year down to 45 kWh/m2/year.

Malka Architecture told us that Plug-in City 75 should be completed by mid-2018.

Source: Stéphane Malka Architecture

View gallery - 18 images
4 comments
4 comments
McDesign
I really do like this - what a cool idea!
Bob Flint
"renovate an aging Paris apartment building by attaching wooden boxes to the façade, increasing living space for the residents and improving the building's energy-efficiency." How will that improve energy efficiency little or no insulation, and increase in living area to heat & cool. Furthermore how will the aging structure hold up this concoction? Unless there is some sort of soil for the greener to grow in then this is only adding to the demise of the building as the greener dies, and rot sets in if a fire doesn't beat it to an early demise
Charles S Roscoe
How is drainage from the flat roofs handled?
ljaques
That's a cool look, BUT, I guarantee the -building- won't last -10- years. The wood is varnished or oiled to keep it protected, and that protection must be applied annually or so. All that ivy will eat into the wood and through the varnish, preventing it from protecting the wood. The wood will quickly rot and lose its structural strength. Trust me, I'm a retired handyman who replaced many fences, porches, sheds, balconies, handicap ramps, and handrails during my career. I love wood, but it _absolutely_requires_ maintenance to last.