UNIC
We love MAD ! and we have to say that the unveiling of their first residential project in Europe has created a whirlwind of excitement in their fans in the fraternity. The UNIC residential building at Clichy-Batignolles, Paris will be located in close quarters with the 10 hectare Martin Luther King Park and the upcoming courthouse by Renzo Piano.
Here are 5 reasons to love this UNIC building-
Courtesy of MAD Architects
It is unlike regular residential towers with its winding floor plates that seem like they have been toppled onto each other. This definitely takes away the monotony associated with this typology in the construction industry.
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Courtesy of MAD Architects
The curves are not random and have been thought through. As the floors ascend, the sizes of floor plates decreases, visually tapering. This creates stepped terraces that connect the building to the abundant nature around vis-à-vis the Martin Luther Park. “Accentuated by sinuous floor plates, each asymmetrical level slightly tapers as the building ascends to create dynamic spaces within. The floating and “upward-growing” form responds to an organic scheme. MAD attempts to blur the boundary between the architecture and nature through UNIC’s variably stepped terraces, which extend the green space from the park into the vertical space of the building, and additionally provides space for residents to interact with nature. Representing stacked courtyards, the distance between human and nature is collapsed.”
- In a city where high-rise had not been the norm, a 13 storey high building will not tip the scales, and at the same time will provide beautiful panoramic views including that of the Eiffel tower.
Courtesy of MAD Architects
- The lightness of the materiality complements the free-flowing curves of the structure. In the architect’s own words, “The building applied a simple double core structure and bare concrete façade, both of which showcase the design’s elegance and simplicity.”
- MAD involved the community in the design of this tower, a step that generally expects to solve many riddles associated with long-term accessibility, likability, sustainability and usability. Ma Yansong, founder and principal partner has revealed, “We worked closely with the local government, city planners and local architects in a series of workshops to ensure UNIC is a creative and iconic residential project united with the community.” “UNIC’s podium is conjoined with an adjacent public housing project and provides direct access to the Metro infrastructure and community resources including a kindergarten, retail spaces and restaurants. The resulting design enhances everyday community relations among a diverse socio-economic neighbourhood.” “After winning the competition, MAD participated in a series of workshops to explore topics from the macro-scale urban plans to micro-scale details, such as sustainable community development, resource sharing, energy management, and population demographics. MAD envisions UNIC to be a dynamic part of the community, to build an organic and harmonious new neighborhood, one that cultivates community with the emerging Clichy-Batignolles projects.”
Courtesy of MAD Architects
Project Information :
Architect : MAD , Accueil – Biecher Architectes
Location : Parc Clichy-Batignolles – Martin-Luther-King, 147 Rue Cardinet, 75017 Paris, France
Project Year : 2016
Directors : Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano
Design team: Zhao Wei, Flora Lee, Wu Kaicong, Daniel Gillen, Jiang Bin, Andrea D’ Antrassi, Tristan Brasseur, Juan Valeros, Gustavo Alfred van Staveren, Xin Dogterom, Juan Pablo, Cesar d Pena Del Rey, Natalia Giacomino
By: Sahiba Gulati
