Date. January 2021_July 2021_Semester 10
Location. Mas de Londres
Type. Amenities_Public
Client. Mas de Londres Municipality
Unit. Meter (m)
Graduation Project
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Click on the following pictures for a high resolution version of the presentation panels.
The project takes place in one of the villages at the base of the Pic Saint Loup mountain. It is located in Mas-de-Londres, a small town with less than 1000 inhabitants, whose main activities happen mostly outside of the village.
Like many other small towns, Mas-de-Londres relies on economic hubs in its area. They allow the well-functioning of commercial, social, economic or cultural activities.
The nearest hub is the town of Saint-Martin-de-Londres, which is a five minute drive.
This socio-economic reality has a noticeable impact on how the village runs : it is a dormitory village. However, one characteristic remains interesting : the population is relatively young and in constant and remarkable growth. Additionally, the census shows that multiple freelancers and artists work from home or in facilities in the village. So there is some activity going on.
On the other hand, Mas-de-Londres also is attracting new residents who come to settle in a rural setting that is near Montpellier’s metropolis.
Construction operations are thus increasing in number, and are continuing the already-existing fragmentation of the village, creating new localities. During its evolution, Mas-de-Londres has had a scattered urban evolution throughout a system of hamlets, like many other towns of the area.
Except that a lack of urban centrality has been thus induced, due to the hamlets becoming isolated small localities.
There are some initiatives to gather, but these don’t exceed the ephemeral events or the private setting : like meeting the neighbours, buying the weekly food basket from the farm, or organising a « guinguette » during the summer.
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The present project’s goal is to create a place where the locals can easily and repeatedly gather. But it is not the only objective.
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There are also some commercial activities happening in Mas-de-Londres, like the Lamalou Farm that sells organic food baskets. However, these activities are hardly visible and spread by word of mouth.
So, there are very few services in the village. The majority of the daily or weekly needs of the inhabitants are met outside of town, in Saint-Martin-de-Londres or when passing by Montpellier. This goes to the extent of having to take public transportation just to buy bread for example.
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Therefore, the first aim of this project’s program is to allow a visible commercial activity in the village.
Another point to tackle is about the community of villages of the Grand Pic Saint Loup; more specifically, the subject of medical deserts that the community witnesses. The second aim of this project is to make the access to a medical specialist easier by implementing a medical health centre.
This will have an impact on a large portion of the community by reducing the travel time, and the traffic intensity towards Montpellier and on the highway.
In order to work on the previously stated issues, the project will be a town square for the Mas-de-Londres village. It will host a medical health centre, a convenience store and a café.
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The town square will be located in the village’s main locality, the Mas d’Alègre.
It is in the centre of the village and right next to one of the main roads : the Mas d’Alègre street, which connects multiple localities together.
The top and the bottom of the village, in particular.
Mas d’Alègre’s town square is thus located on a plot in the Mas d’Alègre street, as a continuum of the town centre’s urban fabric. It is a location where the old and the more recent buildings clearly split.
The aim is to interface between the close neighbours’ dynamics, the flows between the localities ...
... and outside of the village (the main roads leading to Saint-Martin, Montpellier and the community of villages). This location thus caters well to a town square’s needs of exposure and accessibility.
... and outside of the village (the main roads leading to Saint-Martin, Montpellier and the community of villages). This location thus caters well to a town square’s needs of exposure and accessibility.
The delimitations are unclear and transparent. There are wires connecting posts or some wire mesh on foundation walls. The visual limits are thus almost nonexistent with the neighbouring plots, ...
... which allows an opening that shows the scenery.
These openings are to be preserved, as well as an old well around which a stone wall was built, housing many mailboxes of the surrounding houses. This structure creates a facade for the plot, additionally to three remarkable trees : an oak tree hovering over the well, and two plane trees.
However, some elements are to be removed in order to carry out the project; such as the parking lot that has been built by the municipality and some high bushes.
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There is also a dirt path made by the passing cars and that leads to the neighbouring houses. In order to deviate the track, the walls of an existing dustbin location will be removed, allowing a new, more private path to be built.
Now that the context has been established, let’s jump into the actual project.
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First of all, let’s talk about the plot’s surface area. It is relatively spacious considering the program. Also, Mas-de-Londres being a sparsely populated village, the town square will not need to be this large. It is neither necessary, nor sustainable logic.
The project’s stance is to build alongside the main road; feeding into the exposure and accessibility arguments, ...
... as well as continuing the street fronting that came to a stop at this exact location.
In contrast, the aim is not to be side by side with Mas d’Alègre street, but to make way instead for it to pass through the square.
In order to do so, the building will have to be pushed back creating a forecourt devoid of any obstacle.
The square is not meant for cars though, nor for anyone to park in. A car park is dedicated, in another area, to clear up the square’s space.
Lastly, perennial trees are planted in the square, making hang-outs and activities like flea markets or bazaars yet more enjoyable.
This layout entails a large unused surface at the end of the lot. There will be Mas-de-Londres’ public garden in that space; dedicated to relaxing, but most importantly, to have an official spot for the village’s annual festivities.
The square, or at least its building, interfaces between the street and the garden. In order to keep the garden visible, the facades feature parallel wide openings making way through the building. That way, users can enjoy the wooded ambiance in the square while having visual openings. Also, it is possible to see part of the scenery behind the building while walking down the street, since the building is only at ground level.
A covered courtyard is thus created by the openings, allowing users to seek shelter during bad weather days or to simply enjoy the shade.
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The floor cover is the same all the way from the square to the steps going down the garden. A visual continuity is thus created by using terracotta tiles, giving the place a unified identity.
The building’s shell is also made of terracotta bricks, and the roof is tiled. All of these being red coloured. The Mas d’Alègre town square is akin to a carpet starting from the street and dissipating in the garden, all while it stands out from its surroundings because of its colour.
The site’s topography is relatively smooth, compared to the rest of the neighbourhood. However, there is a slight slope of approx. 4% between the well and the far angle of the plot.
So the forecourt and the building’s base are not on the exact same level. The main facade openings are on the same ground level as the square, but the secondary ones aren’t.
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The slope is not parallel to the street, nor to the square; so the forecourt is at a approx. 3% slope, with a drop of 1m. This topography is rectified with : 1- some steps leading to the parking lot and 2- the circulation space being one big covered platform.
The covered area is completely unobstructed thanks to the wooden gantry structure. This choice has been made for two reasons : mainly in order to clear the interior spaces of all structural elements, but also to to clear the space in general in case of a reconversion of the hall, as it is usually the case in small towns.
The hall is thus thought of as a whole element, used to cover the program’s created spaces.
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The brick walls we face from outside are actually not load-bearing, as their brickwork allows some level of transparency between the covered and uncovered spaces.
These walls also protect the interior facades from the sun thanks to the “claustra” brickwork that acts as a filter. In order to maximise the protection, the facades are distanced from the edge and leave out some space for circulation. However, one of the sides is more private than the others; so the width of the passage is smaller (1,20 m).
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The opposite passage is 2 metres wide and allows the direct flow between the covered spaces and the parking lot. This way, the large opening is not the only entrance.
The large facade opening is 6 metres wide and it organises the space surrounding it. The medical centre, which is not near the latter, is visually turned towards the garden and the forecourt; and thus is connected only to the passages. While the store and the cafe open up onto the courtyard, ...
... allowing some appropriation of the place by setting up stalls, or by opening the cafe’s facade and extending its space.
Though the courtyard is also meant for multiple other uses, like for hosting markets or parties in the garden.
The interior facades are made with wood-frame walls that are non bearing, and have a wooden lattice cladding. The openings in these facades are treated according to their level of privacy.
Some of them are essential for the flow of the users, so they are only glassed and not cladded, like the entrances to the institutions.
Others are more private, so the cladding is continued in front of the openings allowing a certain level of distancing, like in the kitchen or the office for example.
This system punctuates the hall with two opening areas in the facade facing the street : a large one that is a transparent space, and a smaller one, in the brick wall, indicating the medical centre’s entrance. The latter is a way to have the patients enjoy the scenery while waiting. However, even if the physicians’ offices have large windows on the parallel facade, the “claustra” brick wall in front of them remains devoid of openings in order to preserve the shade and privacy.
As I am aware of the instability opening businesses face in small towns, a choice has been made regarding the conduits to have them inserted in the slab only. That way the walls can be freely placed and the space entirely redesigned, in case of a reconversion.
The Mas d’Alègre town square, when seen from the street or the garden, stands out from the rest of the Mas-de-Londres village thanks to its colour and multitude of textures. It becomes evident that there is a difference of usage between the surrounding houses and the place created. This colour can thus act as signage and bring a more powerful sense of centrality to the village. People would maybe meet at the red square, of Mas-de-Londres.
