Dubbed 'Crou', this is the Olgga Architects answer to sustainable and affordable student housing. The complex was commissioned as part of the CROUS university residences, a national student service agency that manages student housing. The design makes use of 100 re-used shipping containers. The project also is certified for THPE 2005, éco Campus, which is a 20% energy savings when compared to a conventional building.
A translation of the firm's project description (by author):
"For the first time in France, CROUS launches a construction program of 100 accommodations for students made of metal shipping containers.
The site is part of a urban renewal strategy for the city. This zone plays a vital role in connecting the downtown with the port and offers an undeniable opportunity for development.
To give a new identity to the site and to create a new landscape, our first approach was a topography in response to the port and the connection to the downtown.
The typology of the complex, the parallel vertical towers, is an "urban canyon".
At the core of the student complex, a plane of water made of cut-out contours and punctured by zones of grass, animates the interior of courtyard.
The proposal is composed of two housing complexes sitting perpendicular to the water. The constructs align with the Quai de la Saône (wharf).
The interior courtyard plays with the appearance, reflection and illusion of itself in the a facade and on the plane of water. This symbiosis between the building and the water allows a tenderness of life to contradict the industrial aspect of the shipping containers."
Conclusions: The efficiency of space in each unit a major lesson that can be taken away from 'Crou'. Each container fits a living space, a dining area with kitchenette, a 3/4 bath, a study desk and sleeping area. The containers also have different configurations according to the resident's needs. Another lesson is the ambitious stacking of the containers to create a multi-unit housing complex. However, the designers don't really explain how each unit can be accessed. From the renderings, it seems as though access to the ground is from an exterior stair in the back. An interior corridor would be preferable. Imagine climbing four flights of stairs in the rain or snow.
Links to articles:
http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/8890/olgga-architectes-crou-...
http://olgga.fr/fr/projets/crou
http://www.greenpacks.org/2010/01/28/student-housing-made-from-100-recyc...
