Cohousing Bonnevoie

Through a process of self-promotion, future residents manage the design and construction. Our office assists the client and is entrusted with the mission of project architect.

The building is composed of three floors with one apartment per floor, with the first floor used as a convivial and multifunctional space.

In the interest of the well-being of future residents, emphasis is placed on the choice of healthy and sustainable materials. All the elements of the construction can be dismantled, reused or recycled. The buried parts and the supporting structure will be made of concrete/steel, the envelope of wood frame.

The roof will be equipped with solar and photovoltaic panels assisted by an icebox boiler. The building is LENOZ certified with an energy consumption of
11 kWh/(m2a). Rainwater from the roof will be collected and reused to supply the toilets. A recycling room will be located on the first floor to simplify the practice of selective sorting.

Also out of concern for the environment, the project promotes the use of low-polluting means of transportation. The number of parking spaces outside the building is reduced. On the other hand, the project foresees a common bicycle station for all residents. The “car sharing” system such as “Carl’oh” will allow the inhabitants to limit the use of the car.

An open terrace is planned on the first floor to be able to organize meals, parties or other events while keeping in touch with the rest of the neighborhood. A tree with a public bench will be integrated into this terrace.

The building will be executed without thresholds to facilitate access to all the rooms in case of reduced mobility. Combined with the possibility of installing an elevator, the building can be occupied by its inhabitants in all situations of their lives.

The living spaces will be organized according to the path of the sun: the daytime spaces such as the kitchen, the living room or the dining room will be oriented towards the west/southwest and the night spaces towards the east/north-east.

All electrical networks will be shielded to protect the occupants from electromagnetic waves.

The concept of “cohousing” helps residents to re-establish social ties that tend to disappear nowadays. In order to allow families to pool and share certain services, a multifunctional and modular space will be created on the first floor. Equipped with a system of movable partitions, it can be used as an occasional work space (artistic workshop, rehearsal room, independent profession), meeting place for the inhabitants, play space for children or party room.

In order to reduce the ecological impact and to optimize the surfaces, 3 spaces for collective use are envisaged in the building: a DIY space in the cellar with the sharing of different tools, a common laundry room with a single washing machine on the first floor, and a single garden shed with the tools to maintain the garden and the vegetable garden.

In addition, the garden with the vegetable garden will be accessible to all the inhabitants of the building and maintained collectively in an eco-responsible way, i.e. without pesticides, chemical fertilizers etc. Composting biodegradable waste will fertilize the soil.

This multifunctional building will allow the cultivation of harmonious relations not only between its inhabitants but also with the neighborhood, and will integrate perfectly into the dynamism of the Bonnevoie neighborhood.