Between the lines is set in a location famous for being the cradle of Parisian steel construction: the above ground subway aqueduct. This research school in dynamic architecture lays out the site through a maze of transparencies and filters offering several degrees of side by side. It introduces a dialogue between interior and exterior and keeps a link between the two sides of the street.The steel cables’ density creates a changing skin evolving according to the activity and the interior light needs. The building’s reading is “between the lines”. It reads like sheet music that one deciphers by looking at the façade. This skin comes alive through a simple mechanism allowing for the creation of faults in the façade by spreading the cables, thus breaking the thread’s regularity. The building dresses itself with a virtuous dynamic and puts itself into question every moment. The students become, for a moment, the conductors of a limited-time music composition. It is divided in modules fitting every row. They rely on a system of springs which limit the vibrations generated by the subway’s rolling through. The frames are laid out in the same vertical rhythm as the aqueduct’s structure, accentuating the link between the old and the new. The repetition of the vertical theme creates a thread contrasting with the horizontal steel lines and emphasize the elongated form of the building, giving the impression of speed.
Between the lines is trying to use steel in different manners and explore the infinite possibilities of its usage. It is used here both in a traditional structure and in the façade’s innovative décor. The cold and rigid connotation of the steel is put into question by the clear flexibility of the metallic, breathable skin. The metal becomes a protective element for those who inhabit it. A strain in the middle of the school comes to ruffle the building’s line. It suggests a peculiar meeting space for students and gives a feeling of lightness, the impression that a veil is letting perspiration come through. The program is oriented toward the southern façade, thus freeing circulation spaces in the north. This simple organization allows for the definition of two types of façades customized for the specific needs of each space: on one side a calm skin in the north and on the other side a dynamic façade in the south. The choice of the site has been defined by three major criteria: first the historical dimension of the existing building, then the ease of access linked to the subway’s proximity, and then this site is one of the most ancient “hollow teeth” in the capital.
The mechanical system operating the dynamic façade is concentrated at the level of the scopes, freeing as much as possible the façade and giving an impression of continuity to the building. It is composed of pulleys and counterweights. The structure is organized as to maximize the freedom of the façade with large scopes against the window, and an overhang In the north offering to the hallway a great visual lightness as well as a continuity over the entire length of the building. The mechanism operating the dynamic façade is concentrated at the level of the trenches, thus freeing the façade as much as possible and giving an impression of continuity through the whole building. It is composed of pulleys and counterweights, inspired by old elevator machineries. The variable size openings are located at different altitudes, thus generating variable tempos and heights, and giving the project its music. The structure is organized to liberate the façades as much as possible with wide scope against the windows, and an overhang in the both offering the hallway a distinct visual lightness and a continuity throughout the building’s length.
The mechanical system operating the dynamic façade is concentrated at the level of the scopes, freeing as much as possible the façade and giving an impression of continuity to the building. It is composed of pulleys and counterweights. The structure is organized as to maximize the freedom of the façade with large scopes against the window, and an overhang In the north offering to the hallway a great visual lightness as well as a continuity over the entire length of the building. The mechanism operating the dynamic façade is concentrated at the level of the trenches, thus freeing the façade as much as possible and giving an impression of continuity through the whole building. It is composed of pulleys and counterweights, inspired by old elevator machineries. The variable size openings are located at different altitudes, thus generating variable tempos and heights, and giving the project its music. The structure is organized to liberate the façades as much as possible with wide scope against the windows, and an overhang in the both offering the hallway a distinct visual lightness and a continuity throughout the building’s length.