Cap Mail in Rennes by Jean Nouvel
Jean Nouvel is to build prestige housing in Rennes. The Cap Mail project stands at the junction of the Mail François Mitterrand and the Quai Saint-Cyr, on the banks of the Vilaine. The 12-storey building will contain 45 apartments in a range of types: 12 two-room, 6 three-room, 7 four-room and 14 five-room units, plus 6 exceptional apartments, including two duplexes of more than 200 m². The scheme also includes 636 m² of space for commercial activities.
Update: the project was completed in January 2015!
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Standing at one end of the Mail, the building will play a leading role on the place de Bretagne. On this prow-shaped site, the massing has been carefully studied to open up views of the Maison de l'Éclusier from both the Mail François Mitterrand and the Quai Saint-Cyr. The architect has pushed the volume to the maximum permitted by the local urban plan (PLU). Groupe Giboire, the client, describes the project.
The end of the Quai Saint-Cyr will be entirely redesigned in direct relation to the project, as a continuous park running right up to the foot of the building. The ground floor has been conceived as a surface flowing on from the public space. The "park" extends visually beneath the building through a change of material, from planting to mineral surfacing, while a porch cuts through the structure over two levels above ground floor. The treatment of the ground floor and its surroundings creates a tree-lined urban link between the Mail and the quays. Two elements can be distinguished across the building as a whole: the ground-plus-six "base", which belongs to the urban register of the neighbourhood and continues the line of the Mail; and a taller upper part, set back on the south and east sides, which is read as a landmark from the historic centre.
To the west, Cap Mail backs onto a four-storey blank gable wall and the boundary wall that marks the property line as far as the quay. Angled green walls open up and frame the views from the neighbouring apartments, avoiding any direct overlooking. The façades are treated differently according to their orientation. The north façade onto the Mail is glazed and shelters a planted screen organised around winter gardens. The "night" areas make the most of the even northern light while being shielded from direct view by the planted filter. Bow windows open out of the glazed plane of the north base, catching the evening light and diffusing it indirectly into the bedrooms.
Balconies extending the living rooms begin at the north-east edge and gradually follow the movement of the prow towards the south. They run along the south façade as far as the party wall, interspersed with built dividing elements at the south-west end. On that same south-west section, planting spreads from the green wall by means of planters set in line with the balconies. The west façade consists of alternating terraces, which extend the "day" zones of the apartments, and inaccessible privacy screens. "Diving-board" balconies cut into the silhouette of the upper part on the east, south and west façades. Large glazed openings giving access to the outdoor spaces frame selected views, notably towards the city centre, the cathedral and the Vilaine. The green roofs at first-, seventh- and twelfth-floor levels are accessible from the apartments. They are dotted with small structures which, supporting the pergolas, sketch the building's jagged profile against the sky.
The whole building is extensively glazed. The façades are arranged on different grids depending on their orientation, with dark grey metal-framed glazing. A screen-printed film with a plant motif is applied to the upper part of the north façade. Roofs and balconies are clad in timber around the planted areas. In general, the metalwork is lacquered in different shades of grey. Different types of balustrade will be installed: glass in a metal frame, or, for planted areas requiring maintenance, metal with cables. Metal pergolas are arranged on the seventh- and twelfth-floor roofs.
Gallery
3 images- © Ateliers Jean Nouvel
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