The Butterfly Effect
Torrelavega (ES) - Special Mention
TEAM DATA
Associates: Marc Viaud (FR), Nathanaël Pinard (FR), Victor Dussap (FR), Félix Roudier-Canler (FR), Pierre-Antoine Pernot (FR) – architects
Contributor: Cloée-Stella Olivetti (FR) – architecture student
paf.archi@gmail.com
@paf.architecture
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TEAM PORTRAIT
VIDEO (by the team)
INTERVIEW
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1. How do you define the main issue of your project in relation with the theme “Living Cities Imagining architecture taking care of the milieus”? And in which way do you think your project can contribute to an ecological and/or social evolution?
Our strategy is to maximize the development of biotopes in order to make productive and residential uses coexist. The key tools for a lively, acclimatized neighborhood are to amplify the impact of both rivers and of the natural components on site, while making the best use of existing facilities and roads. Climate issues and flood risks are managed by working the soil within living spaces.
2. How did the issues of your design and the questions raised by the site mutation meet?
We use the opportunity of undergrounding to divert the road that encloses the riverbanks. It now becomes part of a new green belt, and this simple action reclaims vast plots of land, which used to be near the road, for the benefit of the riverbanks. Therefore, we transform and open the district into a vast urban park, demonstrating the richness of the local biocenosis.
PROJECT:
Yes, in fact, we combined reuse processes, new economy dynamics and Gaudi’s sustainability, functionality and aesthetics principles, which we researched intensively for two earlier projects: “The Cure: Anatomy and regeneration of a critical metabolism”, in Limoges (Runners Up at Europan 16), and “Opus Loci”, our 1st prize winner project at the “Gaudi La Coma Artists’ Residences” competition.
SITE:
We really wanted to adopt a pragmatic approach. Located at the bow of the district, the existing industries remain, but integration within wooded areas diminish their impact on the urban landscape. Simultaneously, new forms of production promote the living on site. Rather than a factory town, the Butterfly Effect proposes a vision centered on Torrelavega's living heritage and on the bio-economy.
REFERENCES:
This team is a collaboration between Paf Architecture, founded in Clermont-Ferrand in 2022, and Collectif Carré Noir, founded in Paris in 2018. We were all classmates from the Clermont-Ferrand architectural school. We became experts of various fields: refurbishment, urban design.… but we all kept these common ground values of sociological and ecological involvement in the architectural practice.
6. How could this prize help you in your professional career?
The Europan network brings visibility, and is an outstanding asset to get in touch with inspiring professionals all around the continent. Undeniably, the perspective of going further with our proposal in Torrelavega matters, as it would be a very qualitative achievement for us. We are thrilled to think that it could also be a rare opportunity to experiment new processes of participatory governance.
TEAM IDENTITY
Legal status: Collectif Carré Noir: Four independents registered to the French architect’s national order
Team name: Collectif Carré Noir & Paf Architecture
Average age of the associates: 30 years old
Has your team, together or separately, already conceived or implemented some projects and/or won any competition? if so, which ones?
Collectif Carré Noir has been involved in several award-winning projects in the following competitions:
Innovative Mention for Reuse Italy competition “Reuse the Fallen Church” – associated with Romanian architect Dana Roxana Hosu;
Runners Up Europan 16 in Limoges with “The Cure: Anatomy and regeneration of a critical metabolism” First prize with the “Opus Loci” project, for the competition Gaudi La Coma Artists’ Residences, organised by the Gaudi Knowledge Foundation.
Marc Viaud and Victor Dussap, associated with Dana Roxana Hosu, have been awarded with a third prize for the Arkxsite competition “Site Temple”. Victor and Roxana also won the third prize for the Romanian pavilion of the Dubaï 2020 Universal Exhibition.
Individually, Félix Roudier-Canler has been first prize winner for the “72h Axo Battle” and for the “Waterless World” competitions organised by Non-Architecture and received a Special Mention for “Working from Home” competition. He also participated to the “Et demain on fait quoi ?” exhibition organised into the Pavillon de l’Arsenal. These two last successes have been achieved with French architect Chloé Bordjah. Individually, Marc Viaud received an Honourable Mention for the competition “Trans Siberian Pit Stops”. He has been first prize for the “ConstruirAcier” competition and he obtained the French prize for the XXIe edition of Iacobus competition.
Paf architecture has been finalist for the Terra Viva competition “Rural Housing” with their proposal “The Mondina’s reflect”.
The association formed by Collectif Carré Noir and Paf architecture also won a Runners Up Mention in this very Europan 17 edition, on the French site of Fleurance.
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