Europe 40 Under 40 Awards Tell a friend

ARCHIVE 2014 40under40

BACK TO ARCHIVE

Avenier Cornejo Architectes - CRECHE DE 66 BERCEAUX SECTEUR FREQUEL FONTARABIE - Miguel Cornejo - France

Avenier-Cornejo-MIGUEL

Biography

Avenier Cornejo architectes is based in Paris. Miguel Cornejo, a chilean-french architect, was born in Santiago of Chile in 1974 and completed his studies at the Architectural School of Paris Malaquais. He alternated missions for Mathias Klotz in Chile and collaborated wih french agencies such as Roche & Sie (François Roche), XTU or Galiano Simon. In 2003 he created the agency AVENIER CORNEJO ARCHITECTS in association with Christelle Avenier.

After winning the Electra Prize (Electricite de France) the agency reached public projects like social housing and equipements: 10 social housing for the RIVP in Paris, a kindergarden in the 20th neighbourhood of the city and a Day-care and young workers hostel at Porte de Lilas in the north of Paris. The agency built also a wooden family house in Orsay (Maison 2G). In 2013 Avenier Cornejo was selected by WALLPAPER Magazine in their Architects Directory. At the moment the agency has several housing projects in progress such as 145 housing projects in Paris Batignolles, 38 housing projects in Clichy la Garenne and 14 social housing in St Maur street in Paris.

CRECHE DE 66 BERCEAUX SECTEUR FREQUEL FONTARABIE

Location: rue des Orteaux, Paris 75020, France
Client: City of Paris
Team: Avenier Cornejo architectes
Photo credits: David Foessel

Early childhood is a key stage of human development. You could also say that building one’s first public building is an important step in an architect’s career. When I think about building a child-care centre, I immediately start thinking about certain concepts: games, scale, awakening, parent-child relationships and the role that French society today grants architects in this pursuit. This is because, paradoxically, these places that should be all about discovery and freedom are often just overprotective environments produced by a series of exaggerated, hyperhygienic standards. Yet we all think of and see projects from other countries (Japan, Spain, etc.) that overflow with playful and libertarian ideas and don’t seem limited by the same rules and constraints.

The cellular concrete (Siporex), exterior insulation, heated flooring, thoroughly studied natural ventilation (notably created by building the patio on the eastern façade), flagstone overhangs, interior and exterior blinds and the green roof are all simple and logical elements that will make this public facility a model of environmental performance (without being a gas-works…).

Above all, the most memorable element is the delicacy with which the lace design that “envelopes” the entire facility was created. The motif, at first created using illustrator software, was created in the spirit of economy. Built from punched-out panels of lacquered steel sheets, it both unifies and protects the structure. The design of more or less large, embossed perforations piece together a floral motif. They thus form the sensitive skin of the building that reacts to changes in lighting. The challenge of the motif was to make it so that the repetition was not obvious and only full-scale prototypes would make it possible to correct the calculations made by the computer. The interest here is in the low-tech approach used with standard business profiles and the factory-built series that, in the end, would be both elegant and aesthetically light."

NEXT/PREVIOUS