Hendaye housings

Situated on the bank of the Bidassoa, this housing project had the ambition to live on an exceptional site overlooking farther the river, the Spanish border. The typological question is also asked in light of the relationship between a fragmented urban material and its main infrastructure, Hendaye train station.

First of all, the project houses a public landscape on the bank of the river. It takes advantage of the topography to set up tiers in the slope, in extension of the landscaped treatment of the islet’s heart. The conservation and enhancement of the shoreline anchors the project in its natural environment.

The high plateau of the site hosts the housing program that thus benefits of an overhanging position relative to the view. A long volume at the ground floor supports a set of fragmented volumes with various views in order to maximise the variety and the range of the views from the accommodations. Long, stringing balconies constitute an homogeneous and inhabited façade.

The two southernmost volumes are marking a recognisable entrance for the city. They allow the project to be installed between roads and rail in order to affirm a voluntary urban act.

The volumes of the project are made up from the typologies of the habitat, we always have crossing apartments, or in the corner. The cubic volume of the project multiplies access to the view and light.

Between city and landscape, it is a housing project open on its context offering a strong relationship with the ground and the horizon thanks to an urban system that seeks to respond and amplify the exceptional context in which the project is anchored.

credits

Architects: Clément Blanchet Architecture
Clients: Kaufman & Broad
Nature of the operation: Private competition
Realised in: 2019
Site: Hendaye, France
Program: Residential
Budget: 8 Millions Euros

team composition

Engineers: INGECOBAT, COBET, INGETUDES