Student housing never looked so good. French design studio Vib Architecture rehabilitated several buildings in northern Paris, creating a mixed-use development with student housing integrated into the ancient suburb. The apartments are oriented toward the street, while a childcare center occupies the spaces around a quiet and sunny courtyard at the back. But that beautiful metal cladding is what really makes this project shine.

Vib Architecture, green renovation, Paris, student housing, green architecture, courtyard, garden, common spaces, public spaces, nursery, aluminium

Vib’s project organizes several buildings, both new and rehabilitated ones and aims to embody the multifaceted nature of the “Belleville Village”. The student building is organized around the path to the nursery and pedestrian access routes and houses the lobby for the apartments, communal spaces and a bike park. The volume overlooking the park hosts 49 students across seven floors, while the other part of the building hosts 32 students on 7 floors and offers on the 5th floor a common rooftop with a panoramic view of Paris.

Vib Architecture, green renovation, Paris, student housing, green architecture, courtyard, garden, common spaces, public spaces, nursery, aluminium

Related: Chinese art school transforms a defunct train into student housing

Outside public spaces and the garden create a connection to the adjacent park and aim to reinvent Belleville’s topography through graphic design. The central garden draws the Parisian asphalt floor into the plot and creates a transition from public to private space. A series of islands, hills, and differently colored rubber floors allows kids to use the space to experiment and play.

+ Vib Architecture

Photos by Cyrille Lallement