Les Étoiles d’Ivry

The envelope of Les Étoiles d’Ivry by Jean Renaudie and Renée Gailhoustet is a landmark study in 20th-century housing design because it directly challenges the rigid, orthogonal conventions of post-war modernist social housing.

Rejection of the Right Angle & Slab Typology

• Triangular & Octagonal Grids: Rather than using flat facades or repetitive parallel blocks (grands ensembles), the envelope is generated from 45-degree and 60-degree triangular and octagonal modules. This yields a non-orthogonal, star-shaped geometry where no two apartment facades are identical.

• Spatial Variety: The complex geometric envelope provides every dwelling with unique angles, multi-directional views, and varied sun exposure throughout the day.

Vertical Extension of Nature & Domestic Space

• Planted Terrace Envelope: Every residential unit features an integrated concrete soil planter and private roof terrace on the stepped level above. The facade becomes a cascading vertical garden where climbing vegetation directly softens the rough-cast board-formed concrete (béton brut).

• Buffer Zone: The planted terraces serve as acoustic, thermal, and visual buffers between individual apartments and the public walkways below.

Blurring Public & Private Boundaries

• 3D Urban Landscape: The envelope operates as a continuous, three-dimensional public-private threshold rather than a hard boundary wall. Interconnected ramps, elevated platforms, and open walkways weave directly through the facade geometry, integrating commercial ground-floor shops with elevated residential entries to encourage spontaneous social encounters.