Transformation of 530 Dwellings, Grand Parc Bordeaux

Location: Bordeaux,France
Design firm: Lacaton & Vassal
Typology: Other
Years: 2011–2016
Status: Complete

Facade facts

Facade summary: The retrofitted facade consists of a lightweight, self-supporting prefabricated concrete structure providing a 3.8-meter-deep envelope of wintergardens and balconies, closed by sliding translucent polycarbonate and clear glass panels.
Documented intention: The architects intended to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants by providing more space,light,and views, while simultaneously using passive solar principles to reduce heating demands and avoid the high economic and ecological costs of demolition.
Street relationship: The massive, solid concrete slab blocks were visually lightened and activated, transforming their presence in the urban landscape from imposing,opaque monoliths to dynamic,glowing volumes.
Climate relationship: The wintergarden acts as a thermal buffer zone. In winter,it traps solar radiation, heating the air before it enters the apartment. In summer, the polycarbonate skin can be slid wide open to allow natural cross-ventilation, and reflective thermal curtains block solar heat gain.
Window pattern: Repetitive, grid-aligned bands spanning the entire height and width of each block,mapping directly to the apartment layout.
Glazing: Double glazing on the inner thermal facade; unglazed corrugated polycarbonate on the outer facade.
Depth: 3.8 meters deep (2.4m wintergarden + 1.4m balcony)
Rhythm: Strict, monotonous structural grid reflecting the industrial,modular nature of prefabricated construction.
Polycarbonate: Polycarbonate — Outer sliding panels of the wintergarden skin — Corrugated,translucent,UV-resistant
Glass: Glass — Inner sliding doors separating interior rooms from wintergardens — Clear,double-glazed
Precast Concrete: Precast Concrete — Columns and floor slabs of the external structure — Smooth,industrial cast finish
Aluminium: Aluminium — Frames and tracks of the sliding panels and doors — Anodised
Steel: Steel — Balustrades and structural connection brackets — Galvanised mesh
Prefabricated Concrete Frame Extension: A self-supporting structural grid of precast columns and cantilevered slabs, constructed on the exterior of the building and secured to the original structure using steel tie-backs.
Sliding Polycarbonate Skin: A lightweight outer envelope made of modular corrugated polycarbonate panels fitted into sliding aluminium tracks, allowing the skin to be opened partially or completely.
Double-Glazed Sliding Door System: High-performance aluminium-framed sliding glass units that replace the original concrete facade panels to seal the primary thermal envelope of the apartments.

Description

The renovation replaced the old concrete facade panels containing small windows with a fully glazed curtain wall of sliding glass doors. In front of this new thermal envelope, a 3.8-meter-deep extension was constructed using prefabricated concrete columns and slabs. This extension is divided into a 2.4-meter-deep enclosed wintergarden (jardin d'hiver) and a 1.4-meter-deep open balcony. The outer skin of the wintergarden is composed of lightweight, sliding corrugated polycarbonate panels on aluminium tracks, while the balcony is guarded by simple steel-mesh balustrades. Thermal efficiency is actively managed by residents using reflective interior curtains.

Visual analysis

The facade presents a highly repetitive, industrial, and hyper-transparent aesthetic. The corrugated polycarbonate panels give a shimmering, semi-reflective quality that changes with daylight conditions, exposing the domestic life and movement behind the facade while maintaining a unified, skeletal modular rhythm.