La Cour Lutétienne
This social housing project in Paris’s 17th Arrondissement transforms an existing playground into two adaptable housing units. A new public square and play area are introduced by closing the adjacent western street, while a ground-floor café activates the public realm.
The building uses locally sourced, load-bearing limestone (massive on the east façade, and post-and-beam on the west). Each stone block on the east facade measures 300 × 450 × 900, optimal for quarry conditions and small enough for two precise cuts. Accepting some defects further reduces extraction waste. Demountable DLT floor plates are bolted to the stone structure with steel profiles, bracing it overall. LVL beams extend the DLT span, maximizing open layouts and future adaptability. Apartment rooms are placed to maximise natural daylight, whilst the stones deep facade prevents rooms from becoming overheated during the summer months, but provide a source of thermal mass for the winter.
Section
Facade Isometric
Plans
Unfolded Elevation
South Facing Elevation
Structural Isometric
North Facing Elevation
1:50 Section
