SEDAR

SEDAR HALL
HALL OF
OF RESIDENCE
RESIDENCE -- Paris
Paris (FRANCE)
(FRANCE)

section facade
section

sixth oor

sun noise

“...Therefore, we hold it for a truth that the façade stands to the building
the same way as do the clothes men and women wear in Africa...”
rst oor

This hall of residence was dedicated by the French Governement to students from the former
colonies in 1959 (Maison des Etudiants des Etats d’Afrique de l’Ouest). Located in the 12th
district of Paris (69 Bd Poniatowski), it was originally a nice and quiet hôtel particulier for the
representatives from the Overseas and the Colonies. Late Senegalese president Leopold Sedar
Senghor was one of many Africans who stayed in this residence.

Made of typical cut stones, the building was constructed in 1900. Due to political issues, the
French Governement decided in the early seventies to disband the students organizations in
charge of runing the building. It was the beginning of a long agony, leading to the deteriora-
ground oor
tion of the building which became a kind of semi-legal squat.

The project is about the renovating the building. It consists of providing each of the 45 studio
ats with adequate equipment and furniture (shower, wc, desk...) in regard of modern stan-
dards, and at the same time ensuring security and greater comfort on the whole building (col-
lective spaces, kitchen...).

The project also aims at the economy of energy and intends to deal with the sustainable devel-
oppement issues through the use of solar energy for water heating system and electricity.
The very particuliar use of a pattern integrating photovoltaic cells on the glazed facade is
directly inspired by the African textiles arts and crafts. The idea here was to literally dress the
building up with a beautifull and lightfull indigo-blue piece of material.
basement