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ARCHITECTURE DESIGN ART TRAVEL
Cit A Docks Student Housing by Cattani Architects
P o s t e d b y D a v e o n S e p t e m b e r 3 0 t h , 2 0 1 0
Cattani Architects have designed the recently completed Cit A Docks student housing project,
located in Le Havre, France.
The housing consists of 100 apartments made out of old shipping containers.
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Description from the architects:
The new town is the result of the transformation of old containers in modular housing units
equipped with every comfort. Mounted on a metal grid, the containers have given shape to
a four-story building that houses 100 apartments of 24 square meters each.
The architect Cattani said the thoughts that accompanied her work. How do I prevent
students, prospective tenants, they feel put in the box? Compelling needs have arisen.
Necessary to conceive of a lightweight, transparent, and certainly not solid. Hence the idea
of independent living, to avoid the stacking effect.
The solution was found in a metal frame that acts as a structural support to the old
container, while allowing to stagger the units, and create new space for walkways, patios
and balconies. The metal structure Cattani says it allows a better identification of the
different rooms, and enhances them through the external extensions that become terraces
and balconies. The sequences of the transverse corridors giving access to the apartments
on the faade create a succession of full and empty spaces that gives the structure a more
visual transparency.
The building designed by the metal structure is spread over four floors, which are
distributed on the 100 studios. The first level was raised from the ground. In this way, the
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units here guests can enjoy the same privacy afforded to units on the upper floors. All the
apartments overlook a garden inside and are equipped on both ends of the glass walls that
allow natural lighting of spaces.
To ensure maximum heat and sound insulation, the walls of the container adjacent to the
outside and those that divide the different units have been coated with fire walls in
reinforced concrete 40cm wide, and come within layers of rubber to dampen vibrations.
The external facade is designed by the combination of the old boxes that has kept the
undulating, repainted in metallic gray. Inside, the designers chose white walls and wooden
furniture. Each studio has a bathroom, kitchen and free Wifi.
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Photos Vincent FILLON / unregard.net
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Architecture | Comments (18)
18 Responses to Cit A Docks Student Housing by Cattani
Architects
Gordon on 30 Sep 2010 at 8:17 am #
Creative
Ryan on 30 Sep 2010 at 9:46 am #
This is a great housing solution for students! It would probably seem a bit cramped for someone unaccustomed
to student life, but this is a great alternative to dorm rooms. Complete with WiFi, bathroom, and kitchen- Im not
sure theres anything else a student needs.
Ashley on 30 Sep 2010 at 12:52 pm #
I absolutely love the concept of old shipping containers! Great images
Tere on 30 Sep 2010 at 8:38 pm #
Now that is an amazing idea
Alexandra on 01 Oct 2010 at 6:31 am #
Great concept.
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Great concept.
Swampgas on 01 Oct 2010 at 8:54 am #
I see Moshe Safdies Habitat 67 here but with a twist. Nice.
Filip on 01 Oct 2010 at 9:21 am #
Absolutely creative. For adults a little cramped, but for students, first time away from home and having their own
place this must be a very cool piece of paradise.
Hopefully others will follow and utilize these containers.
Kraus on 01 Oct 2010 at 2:54 pm #
All the offsetting of the containers in order to achieve the various architectural cantilevers necessitates the
(expensive) custom-fabricated steel superstructure and negates a good amount of the constructive advantages
of using shipping containers as a building system.
The containers, which are very strong elements capable of being stacked up to 6+ stories high without
supplemental supporting structures are, in this design, merely being used as largely infill/non-bearingl
elements.
Keetwonen Student Housing in Amsterdam is a much more disciplined and thoughtful design for student
housing using shipping containers that predates this project by a number of years and fully capitalizes on their
inherent tectonic qualities.
http://www.tempohousing.com/projects/keetwonen.html
ruby roa on 01 Oct 2010 at 6:27 pm #
this can be the answer to our countrys miserable mass housing specially for our pitiful working class who
come from the provinces and have no reasonably clean and affordable place to stay in the city. With your design
we can give them dignity in their labor.
TW on 04 Oct 2010 at 3:24 am #
This kind of architecture really annoys me.
Whilst this is a great (and tediously repeated) idea for a student assignment, I expect architects to have more
commonsense.
Whilst it may APPEAR to be recycling and environmentally friendly, it is not. Too much extra design, structure and
finishing has gone into this to make it work.
What people dont realise about containers is that they get used, and re-used to the death. They only get
dumped when they are rusted through. Too rusted to be used for anything other than scrap metal which means
they get re-used again. So they are never really an environmental issue.
May as well have designed in concrete would have been cheaper.
dhrbikes on 04 Oct 2010 at 1:40 pm #
Im planning a family house from this kind of containers, three pieces should be ok for a family
A45? high-cube container is 2.7 m height, and 31,9 square meters/piece so 3 will be enough.
George on 10 Oct 2010 at 6:56 am #
The whole shipping container thing is somewhat overdone!
ziguei on 12 Oct 2010 at 7:58 am #
salut
je suis architecte-urbaniste associ dans le cabinet aup.
japprcie normement ton projet par son originalit qui rentre necessairement dans les projets de
recuprations.
merci
Boxpert on 17 Oct 2010 at 7:17 pm #
I dont think its overdone. The environmentally friendly part of this whole thing is something has to be done with
these containers in the US and other countries that are net importers. Even when re-used to death, they are
structurally sound and can support significant loads.
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Hiba Al Ali on 20 Oct 2010 at 11:49 am #
It is a nice idea for a students dorm. The landscape and sea give a great view from the front elevation but I dont
like the view from the back elevation. The overlap of cubes gives a nice shade to other rooms.
Miss Twist on 16 Nov 2010 at 12:25 pm #
Being a student of art and design and living in a student accommodation, I absolutely LOVE these studios.
Individual bathroom and kitchen is heaven in a students life and the design is perfect- lots of natural lighting,
great view, small personal space for good concentration and long study nights, yet your not isolated from a good
social life. The environmentally friendly design is a plus point. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.
fairouz on 20 Nov 2010 at 5:17 am #
Its a great idea,that combines type of housing with the surrounding environment with reusing the unused
containers,I like it.
Raymond on 29 Nov 2010 at 8:24 pm #
This is a great solution for immediate housing solution. Which skill and labour is scare and expensive. Practical
and no compromise of the living quality.
Should also consider a 20Ft container design solution instead of just 40Ft container.
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