Pressensé
Talence
An inter-generational senior residence, a micro-daycare, and a shared garden
Certification NF High Environmental Quality
Located in Talence, in a historic neighborhood of traditional échoppe houses, the Francis de Pressensé residence was built in the 1970s to house senior citizens. The spaces were then temporarily occupied by different social service agencies and used as housing for people in unstable situations.
The City of Talence wanted to restore the residence to its original designated use, but it also wanted to explore other types of senior living options and to include a small-scale daycare. It launched a request for proposals, and our group’s proposal was selected as the winning project.
Our approach to the Pressensé Residence had three goals: first, to enhance the existing heritage, second, to create a space for inter-generational interactions, and third, to implement bio-climatic design systems.
Existing site
The historical and especially the structural aspects (the floors and the partitions in the façade) have been highlighted to preserve the rational, modernist identity of this building from the 1970s. Thus, the elements in between the existing partitions will mostly be glassed in to make winter gardens. This ensures a simple, contemporary style that will also reflect the surrounding green space of the Square Fehlmann to the east and the gardens to the west.
The fact that the residence faces the Square Fehlmann also contributes to the intermingling of the various generations and uses, thereby extending the building’s own functions.
The small-scale daycare provides spaces for learning and interacting that are ample, well-lit, and inclusive, in which each child can find their own space.
