This jagged, three-tone apartment complex, designed by Paris architecture firm Atelier du Pont, cuts a stark, impressive figure in The Docks, the newly formed Parisian “ecodistrict” from which the building takes its name.
Once a major industrial hub, the ecodistrict stretches between the River Seine and the Boulevard Victor Hugo in the neighborhood of Saint Ouen. Its revitalization is part of the Grand Paris Project, which aims to bolster the local economy with new sustainable development.
Atelier du Pont drew from early 20th–century industrial building design as a source of inspiration for the 90-unit low-rise, which opened in mid-2015. The nod to the early 1900s is clearest in the boxy, gray-and-white concrete form, and is starkly outlined by the dark-orange, perforated metal “boxes” that stick out from the edges of the uneven silhouette, forming terraces, walkways, and other outdoor spaces.
The building’s gray and white halves are joined at its northern-facing front, creating an imposing impression of its height. Viewed from the south, the two halves divide and make a jagged descent, providing the living spaces with natural light.
Given the lack of open arable space in cities and a professed need for locally grown food, Atelier has set aside some of The Docks' rooftop for a community vegetable garden, which is open for all residents to use. A private passageway at the ground level features an additional landscaped garden, and planted terraces are present at every level.
