Day Nursery and Toy Library / Samueldlmas Architects

Textual description provided by the architects. Located at the foot of a 1960s tower block, this 100% bio-reused wood construction project is perfectly in keeping with the redefinition of the Louvois district of Velizy. After demolishing the commercial slab connecting the blocks, a new floor was created in the renovated complex. The natural land, with its gently undulating landscape, is reclaiming its rights. Here, the redevelopment of the neighborhood revolves around a landscaped basin and a new axis where shop windows are covered with wood. (Area landscape designer: Urbicus). Previously consisting of cellars on the edge of an underground parking lot, the project will breathe new life into this new basement with a dual public facility: a day nursery and a games library.

Work on the fifth façade has enabled us to create a new living ‘soil’ in front of the apartments above, with soil complexes up to 1 meter tall and real trees coming through. We also proposed and obtained the task of cladding the foot of the façade of the existing building, in keeping with the materiality of the building, in order to remove any impression of an addition and re-create visual unity.

To complement the contextual approach, we directly reused materials recovered during the ongoing demolition process, at the beginning of the project. For example, we were able to extract schist panels and tree trunks and reincorporate them into the new building. Once inside, the space opens up to an interior space…double height allowing you to read the section above or the courtyard. Entering the hall is the Comblanchien limestone floor used in the public areas. Its pink color is also used to highlight a mineral base on more exposed faces.

The façade is protected by a grid of poplar slats spaced every 45 cm and surrounded by copper zinc sheets. The building can be read as dark from the outside, and can be seen as open from the rooms. Children’s sections are soft and flow between intimate courtyards and play gardens. They are all clad in wood – which is also structural – protecting the canopy slats, disappearing at ground level, leaving an unobstructed view only for children.

Joists, accompanied by linear light strips and skylights, draw the eye outward, the floors are continuous and the space is fluid. Sometimes the wood is suspended, sometimes supported, and plays in all its forms. Wooden furniture accompanies the interior ambiance, while spherical or circular lighting fixtures highlight unique spaces.