Conversion of 93 houses in Beutre
- Year 2024
- Program Transformation project
- Client Aquitanis
- Landscape designer Cyrille Marlin
- Status Construction in progress
- Surface 6 260 m² (existant) + 2 140 m² (extensions)
- Location Mérignac-Beutre, France
Two emergency housing estates were built in Beutre in 1968 and 1970, to house “migrant workers” and inhabitants who were excluded from the center of Bordeaux by urban renewal. To live there, and to survive, the tenants maintained, embellished, and expanded their housing by carrying out various improvements and extensions, and by cultivating their gardens.
The project for the transformation of the housing estate combines renovation with the participation of its inhabitants, as well as implementing the natural capacities of the site, its vegetable gardens, and the objectives of creating more apartments. It begins with the recognition of the human and technical value of self-building, through a precise inventory of the work accomplished by each family. This flexible architectural proposal aims to increase space, fluidity, and light. It considers the wishes of each family and adapts to each case.
Photos : Philippe Ruault, Christophe Hutin Architecture