Creating dense housing with the qualities of “home” life is the challenge of Lang. Constrained by the heritage concerns of the municipality on the main street, the buildings respond with a contrasting heads-or-tails game. On the “heads” side, along the main street in continuity with the existing, a volume mimics traditional gerbière constructions, with traditional plaster cladding for commercial access. On the “tails” side, in the heart of the block, a more free-form “writing” is linked to the housing program: access, interior views, orientations. The layout includes setbacks between housing units, arranged like “steps,” to manage the privacy of the homes and terraces and to reduce visibility between them.


The segmented volume reflects the scale of constructions in Langan. Environmental orientations are varied. The site plan directs housing units mainly towards the south. A mixed wood/concrete construction (masonry ground floor and timber frame upper floors), clad in natural materials: weathered wood and lime plaster, is chosen. Outdoor amenities favoring soft mobility, infiltration, and biodiversity (rain gardens, planting of hedges and trees, permeable surfaces, and minimizing parking area) are also proposed.