The first of a series of publications on LAN projects, ‘Here Are’ is a tribute to contextuality. It is a journey to discover the people behind the EDF Archives Centre and what they have to say about the project and the process. Get your own copy on Amazon or in participating bookstores.
The language sought for the elevations on rue Yves Kermen and rue Emile Zola was achieved by designing a corner building, developing a “discreet elegance”, creating an event, giving the elevations a certain rhythm and providing an overall impression of lightness.
The building will be implanted in a very heterogeneous urban zone composed of houses, apartment blocks and several industrial buildings. The project’s departure point was therefore the challenge of being able to contribute to the definition, organisation and design of this district’s urban spaces.
After numerous trials and comparisons between several volumetric options, the closed block with a central courtyard proved the most convincing and most capable of fulfilling the project’s different urban and architectural ambitions.
The site, Place Salengro in Dunkerque, was a rare opportunity to design an architectural project that could play its part in the urban construction of the city, and try to provide solutions to problems unresolved during previous phases of development.
The major challenge in projects in new agglomerations lies not just in the image of the architecture but also in the urban development potential of new constructions and their integration into the existing urban fabric.