The historic centers of small and medium-sized French cities were abandoned by their inhabitants after the Second World War, modernity being popular. In 1962, André Malraux, culture minister, passed a law which held the creation of preserved sectors associated with an ambitious plan of tax exemption.
The aim : to renovate the old centers, and affect the relocation of inhabitants in the heart of the city.
According to the overall opinion, this 5O years aged system is very successful, since it has saved many cities from a suburban exodus. However, the observed results are of different and many kinds. University and tourist cities as well as large cities have largely benefited from this law, while the ordinary average cities have not reached the desired impact. This effect could be explaining in particular by the division of large houses into several apartments.
The transformation of the mansion into six units takes part of this logic scheme.
How to modify a building designed for a single family use of the 18th century, in six units of modest size? How to stick to the original proportions and scale while cutting the pieces in two ?
The project brings to light the enfilades which return them along the common walls. New perspectives are created, opening the building from north to south. In the south, on the street side, there are the living rooms. In the north, on the courtyard side, there are the bedrooms.
To deceive any reference of volumetry or dimensioning, elements disturb the appearance of the new parts. For instance, the oak flooring is laid diagonally, the skirting boards are oversized, and the tiles have an intermediate size, there measured 10x10 cm. These trompe l'oeil arrangements are enhanced by the use of a half-tone color palette, in reference to the mansion itself. The plaster of the courtyard is contretyped for the bedrooms, and the stone of the facade is declined on the floor of the common parts.
