MAISON GILLES

TYPOLOGY : Residential
CLIENT : Private Client
PLOT SIZE : 1,200sqm
LOCATION : Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire
STATUS : Construction Documentation  

The building’s volumes are clearly delineated to imitate the massing concept of base, shaft and capital of ancient architectural order – the open reception on the ground floor represents the base, the 4No. flats on first and second floor represent the shaft while the pent floor represents the capital.

Clarity, simplicity and orderliness are the key design considerations for this scheme. This is translated directly into the horizontal and vertical layout of the structure to make the building easily navigable on the inside and instantly recognizable on the outside. The scale and proportion is such that the ground and pent levels are pushed back leaving a striking rectangular chunk of the building appear like its floating.   

On first and second floor, the flats are on either side of the core (stairs and lift) and the configuration of the structure allows all apartment to have direct view of the street and to also ensure that natural ventilation and daylight filter into interior spaces – a key consideration during the design development. On the pent floor, the living area and sleeping zone are on either side of the core.

An elaborate floating roof sits lightly atop the building to offer the rather simple structure an elegant and graceful outlook. Planters and sun shading devices are used to ensure thermal comfort and minimize sunlight penetration.