Bâtiment C Confleunce
Building C is located in the Confluence 2 Urban Development Zone (ZAC 2), managed by SPL Lyon Confluence in the 2nd arrondissement of Lyon. Based on a master plan for the ZAC produced by the firm Herzog & De Meuron, the urban planners at Atelier Ruelle then developed the individual building plots and designed the public spaces for the district. It is within this framework that the overall Sollys project, developed by Bouygues Immobilier and Linkcity, takes place. This project comprises 11 buildings across 3 blocks, coordinated by David Chipperfield Architects.
Each building is designed by one of the three architects involved in the project.
The building volumes are constrained by the master plan, which mandates a variety of building types within the development zone. The smaller volumes strongly reference the existing market halls, which, with their strong industrial character, contribute to the neighborhood's identity. It is within this context that Building C is situated. Located on Susan Sontag Alley, a pedestrian walkway that runs through the neighborhood, it faces the small square where the Maison de la Confluence and its bandstand, a venue for numerous local events, are located. To the east is the new contemporary music venue of the Marché Gare, whose bus yard is situated opposite the east gable end.
This building of 11 co-housing units is unique in that it was developed with a constant focus on fostering a sense of ownership among the residents, who were involved in the project from the very beginning. From the initial building permit stage, the residents' group was formed by the project owner and its project management consultants (the SPL and Atelier Popcorn) to bring to life the community that would settle in this space and allow them to influence the building's design from the outset.
It aims to express a different way of living that allows ample space for personalization, outdoor areas, and shared spaces, while simultaneously preserving the individuality of each dwelling within the collective. Resident appropriation from the design stage occurred at several stages, based on principles and a framework predefined by the architects:
Each household was able to design and adapt the interior of their home according to their lifestyle and needs, while remaining within the defined envelope (structure, facades, and space for technical ducts), which ensured the successful completion of the entire project. Thus, the 11 apartments, ranging from two-bedroom to five-bedroom units, are all unique and reflect the expressed wishes.
The uses of the common areas (on the ground floor or rooftop) were defined by the residents during various thematic workshops, allowing for a design that was constantly responsive to their needs while also accommodating future developments.
Today, the building is organized over 5 levels and offers a generous amount of space in which
residents live. The ground floor has a very open layout, raised on stilts, offering two types of spaces:
=> covered porch areas, open to the garden or the alleyway, which shelter bicycles and serve as a large entrance porch. Large benches and hooks in the ceiling for hanging hammocks and swings make it a true gathering place for residents
=> Two large, glazed common rooms that host community life. The first room is accessible to all residents of the block and can be reserved by each resident for family celebrations, shared workshops, or other uses yet to be determined. The second room is dedicated to the 11 households in Building C.
These facilities make it, in turn, a shared kitchen/dining room, a teleworking space, a screening room, a games room, a sewing or repair workshop…
The 3 levels of housing are served by two sheltered exterior staircases used by all residents in the absence of an elevator. They feature a similar layout:
=> Each level offers 3 or 4 apartments (1 or 2 apartments per floor)
=> Each apartment is dual-aspect, or even triple-aspect
=> Outdoor spaces surround the heated building envelope, allowing each apartment to benefit from a large south-facing loggia equipped with awnings, which, depending on the configuration, extend into a continuous balcony along the other facades of the apartment.
=> All apartment windows are French doors opening onto the exterior, giving each apartment the connection to the outdoors of a detached house.
On the top floor, a shared roof garden covers the entire footprint of the building. It opens onto the Confluence landscape and is organized into different spaces:
=> A photovoltaic pergola shelters a summer kitchen and a lounge area, providing a place for families or neighbors to gather and enjoy an elevated outdoor space away from the street.
=> Planted containers and vegetable gardens bring freshness to this rooftop and offer another opportunity for people to get together.
