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There are those great stories that get their impetus from pure happenstance. The first time Marc met studioZERO founders Émeline and Thomas, he immediately confessed to them that he had chosen the architecture studio simply because he lived next door. This unusual introduction led to a project that caught the interest of the two architects straight away.
Marc owns a building that houses a restaurant and several apartments in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. As part of the restructuring of the commercial part of the building, he wanted to convert the restaurant’s former second-floor kitchen into an apartment. The brief was clear: to turn it into a true two-room apartment, with a comfortable living room and bedroom. The whole project had to be hard-wearing and easy to maintain, as he intended to rent the property out: “Do the best you can within the budget, and I’ll trust you with the rest.”
Easy-peasy, right? Not so. Upon their first visit, Émeline and Thomas discovered that the water connections went right through the middle of the apartment. No problem: they articulated their design around this technical constraint, making it the backbone of the project. The area was to cleverly combine essential functional rooms, such as the kitchen, WC and shower room. On either side are the living and sleeping areas, both of which benefit from the apartment’s generous openings. The two architects also saw the project as an opportunity to apply one of their studio’s fundamental principles: to aim for the maximum re-use of material, along with a reduced carbon footprint.
Mission accomplished?
