first block
ofa new district

Block G3 of the Mantes Université ZAC is the first project to be delivered under the new phase of the Mantes Université ZAC initiated by ANMA in 2020. It is a macrolot demonstrating the urban renewal intentions for the 50-hectare Sulzer industrial wasteland: protean, open, planted with trees and resolutely committed to quality of use.

ANMA and Atelier Krauss are respectively designing 5 and 3 of the 8 buildings that make up this mixed-use block of social housing and affordable housing, shops and parking. All of these programs are arranged around the perimeter of the plot, aligned with the street, to leave a vast, densely landscaped core of the island free. The parking spaces required for the operation are thus integrated under the built-up areas, freeing up 30% of open-ground space in the center.

pierced belt
varied architecture

The block features domestic architecture on a human scale, with varied, sequenced and cut-out volumes. The interplay of double-sloped roofs, recesses and successive spreadings, terraces, balconies and loggias create a lively urban form, reinterpreting some of the geometries of the preserved structure of the large Sulzer hall facing the project, where boat engines were once built by the assembly line.

This succession of buildings resembles a porous belt that has no intention of being an enclosure: 6 gaps 7 to 8 m wide, 3 of them on one level, break up the linear facades and offer, from the neighborhood, pleasant views towards the central cool island and, from inside the garden, reassuring perspectives towards the horizon.

a wild garden
breathing space

For it is the garden that is the jewel in the crown of the project. A wild garden equipped with furniture and vegetable gardens, but above all planted with deciduous (2/3) and evergreen (1/3) species. All rainwater is infiltrated on site to maintain layers of moist vegetation irrigated by valleys, retention basins and watercourses integrated into the landscape.

With 30cm of soil on the slab, for the rare residual surfaces above the parking layer, and up to 1m of full soil for several tree mounds, this garden has a topography that invites strolling, but is also favorable to biodiversity, with a surface biotope coefficient of over 40%.

Determined by the management of a project with strong economic constraints, the materials used are simple yet durable and warm: ochre-colored rendered concrete, sand-colored brick slabs and concrete stained warm gray and red. The quality of the project is also reflected in the use and design of each of the homes, designed and oriented as if they were meant to be lived in.

quality of life
time and time again

The majority of units are either through- or bi-oriented, and feature large private outdoor spaces with space for a table and 4 chairs. They are fitted with thick guardrails to accommodate planters already planted, and the windows are also larger than the regulatory surface area (1/6), with wood or aluminum joinery and high frames made of recycled glass, sometimes abraded, to let in more light and open up more beautiful views.

This first block, adorned with shops on the ground floor, faces the Sulzer hall, which will soon house a university institute of technology, a cultural facility, a food court and a large retail outlet. In the end, it’s already a haven of peace in a lively new district, soon to be served by the Eole train and fed by the new multimodal hub at the station.

PROJECT TEAM

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
ANMA Architectes Urbanistes
Atelier Krauss Architecture

STUDIES
Romain Godard, Marie Mérindol, Aurélie Perrin,
Camille Pastier, Albane Viateau

CHANTIER
Bruno Isambert, Miray Rakotovoavy, Olivier Péroneau
Hélène Forman, Antonio Esteves

LANDSCAPE
Sébastien Moinet, Lena Cissé

BET TCE
Nortec

TECHNICAL SHEET

STATUS Completed

PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Marignan Immobilier

DELIVERY 2024

SURFACE 14,200 m² SP / 13,000 m² SHAB

HOUSING
231 including 107 rentals and 124 homebuyers

WORKS 19.3 M€ EXCL. TAX

PHOTOGRAPHY
Fred Delangle

SEE +
Logements Progrès, Morsang-sur-Orge
Vallon Régny housing, Marseille
ZAC Mantes Université, Mantes-la-Jolie