The 17-storey building "Tour Bois Le Pretre" was built in 1958-1961 next to the Paris ring road by architect Raymond Lopez (Raymond Lopez). This 96-apartment building surrounded by greenery, like other post-war modernism buildings around the world, was declared obsolete in the 21st century and sentenced to demolition. This decision of the authorities was facilitated by an unsuccessful renovation of the facades, carried out around 1990: new panels almost blocked access to light and fresh air in the apartments.
But Anne Lacaton and Jean-Philippe Vassal, together with Frédéric Druot, proposed a “green” alternative to demolition: rebuilding the tower to fit the modern standard of comfort. This option allowed her to maintain the status of social housing: all current residents remained with their apartments. They did not even need to temporarily move out of the house: prefabricated parts were used during the reconstruction, which reduced the "destructive" side of the renovation to a minimum.
The existing facades of the building were dismantled, and in their place a self-supporting structure of terraces and balconies was erected. As a result, each apartment received a glazed “winter garden” 2 m wide and an open balcony 1 m wide along the entire length of its façade section. The new spaces are separated from the living room by Plexiglas sliding doors. As a result, thanks to the transparency of the new partitions, the apartments are perfectly illuminated by sunlight, and movable blinds protect them from excess heat; there is also extra insulation to keep warm during the winter months. In addition, given the advantageous position and height of the building, residents can now enjoy panoramic views of Paris. But the main thing is still the increase in area: for example, an apartment of 44 m2 received an additional 26 m2, etc. In total, 3560 m2 was added to the existing total of 8900 m2.
Instead of one elevator, whose shaft was used to improve the interior layout of the house, two new ones were installed. Significant changes also affected the non-residential first floor: it was leveled in height with the street, all partitions were removed (most of the premises were not used there), two new rooms for public functions were created, otherwise the entrance to the building through a spacious lobby was connected with a new garden behind the house.
Initially, the Tour Bois Le Pretre tower was considered exemplary: the first version of this project was carried out in 1957 as part of the InterBau exhibition in Berlin's Hanseatic quarter (where it is appreciated even without rebuilding: apartments in a building that has the status of an architectural monument are very popular). Now, after reconstruction with a budget of 11.4 million euros, the Paris tower has once again become a model - this time, the renovation of the housing stock.
