Residential building Rue des Suisses
3 VISITS TO RUE DES SUISSES
Visit One - August 2001 - Amazement
When I left for Paris in 2001, architect Helena Jiskrová reminded me that I should visit the "excellent housing" of the famous Swiss duo - Herzog & de Meuron. I thought it was a mistake at the time. I knew nothing about it. Nevertheless, I went to a bookstore and managed to find a model in the HdM monograph by Birkhauser that corresponded to Helen’s description. The expected completion date was autumn 2001. After several twists and turns, I found myself in front of a black object on a street with a fitting name. Rue des Suisses means, of course, Swiss Street. Through the black mesh of the main entrance, one could sense more than see the inner courtyard. After pressing the doorbell about ten times, I was let in. There lies the true core of the entire realization. After passing through a tunnel about fifteen meters long, at the end of which is a huge piece of green glass - I finally found myself in front of a three-story residential building. Its most exposed facade is entirely covered with wooden rolling shutters that outline the shape of curved steel profiles. This simple element gives the entire object a distinctive character. The tension between the "clean" closed and "dirty" open is achieved just like in outdoor buildings. The shorter side facade is covered with steel cables, along which climbing greenery will hopefully one day grow. The 14th arrondissement, particularly the area around rue des Suisses, has a certain charm, but it does not offer any major qualities. However, in the pleasant quiet courtyard of HdM, I felt like Alice in Wonderland. My French friend described her impressions succinctly: "from the outside, it looks like a prison, but inside it’s paradise."
Visit Two - September 2003 - Confirmation
I pay more attention to the two exterior buildings - the narrower one on Jonquoy Street and especially the wider one on rue des Suisses. Its broken facades, which at the ground floor enable easier access for cars into the underground garage, but mainly in perspective views significantly dynamize the entire object, especially when the main and protruding steel facade are not parallel. This exterior black cage manages to hide all the interior individualities of the various apartments and gives the building a uniform character. I was surprised at how often the apartment owners use this facade - they open and close it multiple times throughout the day as needed.
Visit Three - May 2005 - Reconfirmation
In 2004, I visited several Basel complexes by the Swiss duo. The Paris realization resembles a fusion of two of them, but I believe it surpasses them both. Greenery completely covers the shorter facade, as could be anticipated back in 2001. The trees have grown, the materials have aged, the tenants have moved in - the ambiance of the courtyard has only gained strength - which is not often seen. On the third visit, I realize that I am walking on the roof of a large underground parking lot. I already know that there are 58 apartments in the entire complex, whose layouts do not represent any revolution. I know that the entire construction cost just over 6 million euros, which gives a very low price for an apartment by Paris standards. I know that the kitchens and bathrooms of the inner building are protruding outside the main volume of the building, although I do not see this. I know that there are normal apartments in two small houses, although I initially thought they contained some common facilities. I know that behind the high fire wall, there is a children's playground, from which no noise reaches. I know that the balconies of the low building are wider on each subsequent floor than on the previous one and thus compensate for the distance from the ground. At the same time, this creates a characteristic curved silhouette, which is further emphasized by the aforementioned shutters. I know that a volumetrically similar residential building in Horažďovice by Josef Pleskot, as admirable as it is, does not hold up in comparison to HdM. I know that HdM created the most impressive realization in Paris in the last 50 years. I do not venture to compare it with Le Corbusier, Loos, and Pierre Chareau.
I pay more attention to the two exterior buildings - the narrower one on Jonquoy Street and especially the wider one on rue des Suisses. Its broken facades, which at the ground floor enable easier access for cars into the underground garage, but mainly in perspective views significantly dynamize the entire object, especially when the main and protruding steel facade are not parallel. This exterior black cage manages to hide all the interior individualities of the various apartments and gives the building a uniform character. I was surprised at how often the apartment owners use this facade - they open and close it multiple times throughout the day as needed.
Visit Three - May 2005 - Reconfirmation
In 2004, I visited several Basel complexes by the Swiss duo. The Paris realization resembles a fusion of two of them, but I believe it surpasses them both. Greenery completely covers the shorter facade, as could be anticipated back in 2001. The trees have grown, the materials have aged, the tenants have moved in - the ambiance of the courtyard has only gained strength - which is not often seen. On the third visit, I realize that I am walking on the roof of a large underground parking lot. I already know that there are 58 apartments in the entire complex, whose layouts do not represent any revolution. I know that the entire construction cost just over 6 million euros, which gives a very low price for an apartment by Paris standards. I know that the kitchens and bathrooms of the inner building are protruding outside the main volume of the building, although I do not see this. I know that there are normal apartments in two small houses, although I initially thought they contained some common facilities. I know that behind the high fire wall, there is a children's playground, from which no noise reaches. I know that the balconies of the low building are wider on each subsequent floor than on the previous one and thus compensate for the distance from the ground. At the same time, this creates a characteristic curved silhouette, which is further emphasized by the aforementioned shutters. I know that a volumetrically similar residential building in Horažďovice by Josef Pleskot, as admirable as it is, does not hold up in comparison to HdM. I know that HdM created the most impressive realization in Paris in the last 50 years. I do not venture to compare it with Le Corbusier, Loos, and Pierre Chareau.
In Paris, June 14, 2005, AG
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jmeno ulice
Marek Dolejs
14.06.08 11:05
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Petr Šmídek
15.06.08 01:35
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