VALDUEZA,JENNINA SANTI C. ASPECN2

The Nemausus Social Housing project by Jean Nouvel was completed in 1987, a time during which a massive amount of the population of France was moving from the rural outskirts to the more urban areas.  This emigration led to an urgent need for mass housing for a low cost. The Nemausus One was Jean Nouvel’s answer to this problem.  Nouvel wanted each apartment in the building to be as large as possible, while still being flexible.  By doing this he wanted to encourage the tenants of the building to transform their own apartment to fit their needs.   Nouvel argued that the “quantity of space is more valuable, in the long run, than the quality of finish.”  With that understood, Nouvel made large apartments but left a lot of things unfinished, such as the concrete walls. 

Jean Nouvel was inspired by industrial buildings, and wanted to apply the concepts of such buildings to the Nemausus project.  Nouvel also drew inspiration from the design of ships, and used pre-manufactured industrial components throughout the building.  People really took to the Nemausus project because it was so dramatically different from any apartment building that had come before it.  It was built in an industrial zone as part of a project to improve public housing in the area.  Because Nouvel was so inspired by industrial design, he was able to lower the overall costs of construction and make the apartments available to a wider range of people.  Apart from being greatly cheaper than much of the housing at the time, the Nemausus provided a whole new look for public housing in France.  The façade of the building follows a completely continuous pattern even though there are a variety of different apartment sizes and shapes within the structure. 

Facade of Nemausus Housing Project

 One of the things that I found most interesting about this project was the flexibility of the interior spaces.  This was one of the most important aspects of the project in the eyes of Jean Nouvel.  He felt it was important that the tenants be able to create their own space inside of each individual apartment.  He used one main core in each apartment that included the bathroom, and a pantry.  Even though the core moved around in different apartments, those items were always together.  The large glass doors in each apartment also give the space a feeling of flexibility.  They allow the tenant to almost bring the outside in to their apartment. Nouvel was also able to add quite a bit of exterior space surrounding this building.  He raised the building up off the ground and used the space he gained for parking, which was a fairly

revolutionary idea for the area.  There is also a large green space in between the two buildings for tenants to enjoy.  In my opinion all of the little details that Nouvel  considered when designing this building makes it a very successful housing project.

plan view

beneath the Nemausus

Nemausus Housing

Introduction

The resolution of social housing has always been a tricky issue and a suspense account for the great architects who are used to solve large spaces and work with high budgets.

Since the beginning of the twentieth century with the expansion of cities due to the strong increase in the number of plants (from the Industrial Revolution), the need for more homes to be noted.

The deficit increased with the exodus of population from rural to urban areas led to the urgent need for mass housing and low cost. The cities were not prepared for such growth, and lacked the necessary infrastructure for this new situation. The lack of safe water and hygiene and sanitation led to epidemics that resulted in tragedy. This reality is echoed in the designs of the era, and soon to appear for settlement proposals.

Nemausus Housing

Architect: Jean Nouvel

Year(s) of construction:

1985-1987

Location: Nimes, France

Coordinates: 43° 49' 40" N, 4° 22' 23" E See on the Map

Working-class districts, with the repetition of the minimum housing standard were the first response. Almost at the same time, examples emerged in Russia's affairs and are committed to using new materials. But the first World War, coupled with the economic crisis in the United States which had caused a large scale again this urgent need. The destruction of entire cities and the sharp increase in construction costs require new solutions.

The first attempts in the Netherlands were the prelude to the contribution of Le Corbusier in his buildings as city halls self.

Since the 70s, the search for new theoretical and practical responses decreased worldwide, supported by the rise of capitalism, investing in commercial buildings to provide revenue.

From there, bringing the architecture to social housing has been more mild and isolated models. Without strong intervention by the state and less commitment on the part of architects, examples have been increasingly heterogeneous and without clear guidelines.

Location

Nimes is a French city located in the south near the Mediterranean Sea. The remains of Roman times made this city famous, and has numerous buildings, amphitheatres, aqueducts, and perfectly preserved.

The area has a very good climate in much of the year and its people have the habit of living far away from home, making use of public space.

France is considered a "first world", which means that its rate of poverty and deprivation is far below any other developing country or sub-development. Unemployment and housing shortage is a lesser evil, but something existing. In such countries, the most common is that the social housing sector point to a low-income populations or students with little budget.

Nouvel and the mayor of Nimes knew of a previous competition held for the building of the Municipality of the city. The impression that the politician was the architect was very good, especially for knowledge of it being his own country. Thus it was for the development of this set, the mayor gave him the "carte blanche" to enable it to develop.

Concept

The complex housing Nemausus the challenge was much greater than just solving a whole. The objective was to meet the needs of a society in constant transformation, and build houses at low cost.

But the real concept stems from the need to define what is a good apartment. In this quest, good apartment andalusia Nouvel defined as simply an apartment as large as possible. A good apartment is flexible, able to convert. A good cheap apartment in a democratic sense.

Mimicking the way some of the buildings raised by the modern movement, Nouvel proposed that the same off the field. To rationalize the use of land, located in the garage floor, half-buried, following a municipal ordinance but also to the parking lot does not limit the visual and from the outside of the package. Also recomposes and reinterprets the idea of dragging the flag that grows in height, with common spaces.

Nouvel poses two buildings almost parallel elongate boat-shaped, one shorter than the other. Between one half of them projected park and public space that gives ownership to the residents. They kept two strips of trees that once formed an arboretum, and run along the entire package.

In Nemausus, the architect tries to enhance the area, providing as much light, take the flow of air, and issues for the time seemed discredited, or neglected. Nouvel planned houses from the inside out, to prolong the interior and providing more living space.

Currently, people living in these buildings was very young. In fact, 80% have less than 35 years, and the largest has 51 years of age. Of these people, 20% are unemployed, 3% are workers, 20% are employees, 31% of middle class / educated, 19% students, and 7% other categories.

Spaces

The two buildings with parking on ground floor semi-buried, and three upper floors of apartments. In total there are 114 housing units distributed in the set, with simple types of duplex and triplex (studios, one bedroom house with double height, etc). The total area is habitable 10.400m2, so the average of each dwelling is 91m2 (well beyond the traditional social housing). In addition, each of these types gives to both sides of the package.

Building access is via stairs located on the common area of the half, separated from each ship. They are complemented elevators stuck on the inside of each body, right in the middle of them. Horizontal circulations are located throughout the length of each volume, covering three floors. These movements are made to methods of "high street", with a considerable width to travel on foot or by bicycle, to serve as common space for interaction among neighbors and expansion of housing.

At the opposite facade, which faces the street and adjacent buildings, this is repeated a footbridge but in this case is used in private practice for each unit. It is used as a sole or balcony space saved. Towards each side of these passages, the walls are opened outward, expanding the boundaries of each dwelling.

But as Nouvel warrants, the set is designed from the inside out. With the single premise to create apartments with maximum flexibility and variety of types in a modular fashion, it creates multiple possibilities and combinations. But to do so, and build more space at the same price, uses a straight logic, elementary, and as simple as possible.

Finally, all attempts to mimic the rest of the neighborhood through the materials used and the height of it.

Structure

Again, in order to lower costs, the building structure was designed in a practical and rational. The two volumes are based on a series of columns placed every five meters, which surround the parking space. This decision follows the idea of allowing visual continuity on either side.

Resting on these columns load-bearing walls that divide each apartment, which are repeated in the same way throughout the three floors. This module generates the same way throughout the building, which combined with one another, create different types.

Since the walls of the cargo flow on both sides corbels to hold the gateway corridor and space-expanding ass. For the load on each of them not too, Nouvel poses a counterweight system. Ie, it generates a transverse structure, which will hold the hand of a common movement, and the other the private courtyard of each house, making sure that both are balanced.

The only exception to the modulation of the walls are prepared every 5 meters, is in the center of the nave, where it is severely broken with two walls to find a shorter distance, and there put the elevators.

The stairs are off from each building and have an independent steel structure. His connection with the horizontal flow is through bridges. Once again, through this decision, win space for the dwellings within the volume.

Many of the typologies is also a volume of a rectangular shape in the center, which is located in a toilet, kitchen and a storage space. This space is also used to locate the vertical movement inside.

Materials

The materials on Nemausus are given by this particular image so radical. On the occasion of saving money, Nouvel conceived of his work with industrial materials and prefabricated items easy replication and assembly.

Structure for working with columns and walls with crude revoke. On the rails of the stairs use of movement and micro-perforated sheet metal as well as aluminum. For the independent structure of the stairs using rectangular steel sections, painted red and white stripes, emphasizing the language industry.

Used on the facades and corrugated galvanized "adorned with red lights like sirens. Vain for a weapon modular repetition of windows and doors similar to those of the trains, made the façade of each home. The particularity of this, beyond the image series, is that the facade of each home can be opened completely, and relate it to the outside. Also, many times these doors are double-height, so each person can break the stigma of homelessness among four walls, and open her apartment as if it were a simple curtain. Inside the houses, stairs and metal are also reported the different spaces.

Finally, each building is topped by horizontal visors on both sides, which meant much of the budget, but provide containment against the strong natural lighting in the area.

Drawings

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Implantation

 

General floor

 

Section

 

Floors

 

Floors and Sections

Photos

 

 

 

 

Night view

 

 

 

 

Parking and Sturcture

Vegetation

 

 

 

Public space

 

 

Stairs

 

 

Nemausus   

Analysis of the notorious housing project of Jean Nouvel in Nimes (France)  

  

  

The concept   

For the same prize more surface area was the aim of Jean Nouvel. He realized 2 building

volumes for the normal budget, but because the amount of rent is based on the amount of

surface the inhabitants have to pay more rent. There is 55 % more space but the houses are

also 52 % more expansive. The building company saved money, not the people who live in it. 

Profile of the inhabitants   

The people in Nemausus are young. 80 % is younger then 35 year. The oldest is 51 year old. 

20 % = jobless  

3   % = workers  

20 % = employees  

31 % = middle / well educated  

19 % = students  

7   % = other 

The inhabitants can be divided in 3 groups based on income and preferences  

A. 30% of the inhabitants have a low income, (< FR 4500, fl. 1500,-) many used to live with their

parents. They had to move (were forced to move) because of a personal or professional

change. They are pragmatic and don't care to much about the architecture. They don't consider

the houses as to comfortable. For this group of people is Nemausus not social housing because

of aspects of offices, fabric and the rent is to high. They hope to move on after a few months.  

B. 40 % of the inhabitants came there by opportunity. Their income (FR 4500 – 5500, fl. 1500 –

1833,-) is enough to let them move further but they chose for Nemausus. They usually lived in a

free-standing house. For them this is a way of making the quality housing better. They like the

mix of surprise, seduction and big space. The houses and the environment don't look like low

rate.  

C. 30 % are non-social inhabitants, they just came there for their cultural choice. They like to

live in architecture and the economy is not important. They chose for innovative architecture. 

people living in Nemausus say:  

I like it because; I don't like it because;

- space is luxurious - the concrete walls (not finished)

- the program is functional - the art on the walls looks like graffiti

- big terraces - the concrete walls are dirty

- the apartments are big - the provocation of the architect is to much

- there is enough light - no lockers outside the houses

- good isolated - no total darkness in a house

- totally open façade

50 % (31 + 19) of the inhabitants have reached the upper study level  

There is a policy for the kind of people that are going to live in Nemausus. The houses in Mont

Pellier of Ricardo Bofill proved to be very popular. Although intended as low rent houses they

got sold to people.  

In the sixties people moved from the countryside to the low rent houses in the cities. These low

rent houses were more luxuries then the country houses. Low rent was popular.  

Jean Nouvel offers with Nemausus again a popular low rent house. He brings things that are not

in the standard market houses. For example:  

- terraces 2 meters wide for eating, extending the dining / living room and sun-bathing  

- special light in the houses  

- 15 m2 of bathroom with windows  

- 5 meters high rooms  

20 % of the inhabitants don't have funds (subsidies) they could move to a cheaper place but

they don't. 

costs   

Some financial data of this project in Nimes has been compared with the earlier work of Nouvel

in Paris. The Nemausus project  

 

 Nemausus Saint Ouen

constructionFR 36.560.000 (fl. 12,2

mlj.)

FR 15.880.487 (fl. 5,293

mln)

houses 114 48

habitable space 10.400 m2 4.895 m2

average 91m2 / house 102 m2 / house

prize / m2 fl. 1.172,-/m2 fl. 1.081,-/m2

average house

costsfl. 106.652,- fl. 110.262,-

  

  

facts   

The Nemausus project turned out to be FR 1,5 mln (fl. 500.000,-) over budget. This happened

because the industrialized balcony-fences had to be adjusted for attaching to the main

construction.  

The doors on the sun side of the house are 9,4 % of the total building prize. People are very

enthusiastic about these extensions of the house.  

The red/white coloured signals cost 0,8 % of the total building prize. Some people find the

industrial signals overdone. 

Politics   

Nouvel and the mayor of Nimes knew each other from the competition in the centre of the city.

Norman Foster won the prize to build the town hall but Nouvel was the would-be-winner.  

The mayor was very keen to do a project with Nouvel. He gave him the ‘carte blanche’  

Jean Nouvel made a call to the office of Frank Gehry and asked Jean-Marc Ibos to work for him,

which he did.  

The building companies were afraid of this extraordinary project and said that they could only

build it for a very high prize. The architects and the building companies talked for 15 days in

order to make an agreement about the prize. 

Source  

CD-rom of AMC (le Moniteur 1985-95)  

Architecure de Aujourdhui