Concertina shutters shade the windows of Naud & Poux’s Paris retirement home

Hinged shutters   fold up and down over the windows of this monochromatic care home near Paris by French   studio   Naud Poux (+ slideshow). Inside, the windows and doors have black aluminium frames. The private and communal   areas of the complex   are divided   up between two long blocks, each comprising a chain of nine connected volumes. The open stairwell, surrounded by metal railings, affords residents views into the communal lower storeys   and gardens. Residents’   bedrooms are housed in four-storey-high gabled buildings, joined by low-rise glazed   blocks that contain cafeterias, treatment rooms   and lounging areas. «The service spaces are distributed along the main circulation areas to ensure that the establishment runs efficiently and that the nursing staff enjoy an effective working tool,» said the architects. The regimented organisation of the plan was designed   to be clear to   the 24 Alzheimers patients among the residents, as well as to   mirror the neighbouring properties. En-suite bedrooms   are clustered around   a centrally located staircase and elevator core in each block. «The volumes are intentionally simple in order to reflect those of the surrounding suburban fabric,» said the architects. Neon tube lighting lines the upper lintels. Project credits:
Architects: Élizabeth Naud Luc Poux, architectes associés
Project leaders: Franck Grilo, Julien Ménard
Structural engineering research: ScynA 4
Economist: Tohier Associés
Fluids engineering research: ETB Antonelli
Unit details diagram – click for larger imageSite plan – click for larger imageGround floor plan – click for larger imageLevel plan – click for larger image The shutters are coated in the same grooved cladding as the facades to give a uniform appearance. Naud Poux   designed the metal-clad sheltered housing   blocks   in   Villejuif, a suburb to the south of Paris. Each window in the   gabled living quarters features a hinged shutter that slides upwards to form a horizontal shade, and down to completely conceal the windows and offer privacy. A   black metal framework that angles over the patios can be used to enclose the space.