Utopia of yesterday, today’s architectures, the transformation of cities must be built on existing heritage…

Acknowledging it, the architect Stéphane Malka found a way of optimising the energy efficiency of antique urban structures while working within the restrictions of Parisian building system.

Malka’s Plug-in City 75 design

Malka’s Plug-in City 75 design envisions attaching a wooden cubes system to the facade of a 70s-era building, extending the living space and significantly reducing the building’s annual energy consumption by more than 70 percent.

This Paris building like similar ones in the city, is distressed with low energy performance due to permeable windows, thermal bridges and poor insulation. Nonetheless, current building laws are quite restrictive and do not allow for the structures to be built for more efficient space. The apartments were also too small and gloomy, which led the co-owners to ask Malka to optimize their properties.

Malka’s Plug-in City 75 design

The project solution is to incorporate a type of intricate architecture through modular boxes to improve the building’s energy usage; while extending the apartments outwards. Also, the wood module boxes are quite lightweight, which allows for easy transport and on-site assembly. Once mounted onto the building, the cubed extensions not only add more living space and light to the interior, but will also create an inner garden courtyard on the first floor. The new facade will be hanging greenery, greatly improving the structure’s overall beauty.

More info at: http://www.stephanemalka.com/?portfolio=plug-in-city-75-i-habiter-les-facades-i-paris-2017&lang=en