Two groundbreaking apartment buildings in Bordeaux, France, are revolutionizing the concept of collective housing by offering units designed to evolve alongside their residents' changing needs. The innovative project, created by architecture firm A6A, features apartments that come move-in ready but include unfinished mezzanine levels that owners can customize and expand over time.
The ambitious project was conceived within the master plan of Youssef Tohmé, architect-coordinator of the district, and developed under the supervision of Bordeaux City government. After being selected in 2014 by Studio Brazza, a group of developers who secured land rights for the district's northern edge, A6A began working iteratively with developer Eden Promotion to bring these two evolutionary buildings to life.
Each apartment unit features a unique dual-space design, with both sections having their own front doors and separated by an interior removable wall. The first space serves as a base unit that complies with current building codes and is immediately livable upon move-in. The second space acts as a large-scale spatial reserve that can be transformed into various living areas as residents' needs change over time.
The expandable design allows the mezzanine level to gradually take shape, initially opening wide over the living room before being subdivided into new rooms. The smallest units can eventually reach up to 970 square feet, while the largest typology can expand to 1,615 square feet. To facilitate future construction, the architects have installed infrastructure-in-waiting throughout each apartment, including a single technical shaft with plugged outlets that enables the installation of wet rooms and individual HVAC systems.
This innovative approach maximizes flexibility and independence between neighbors while creating what the architects describe as 'a system of cohabitation.' The design enables clean and accessible construction sites where neighbors can potentially help each other, with one resident's needs being met by another's skills. The concept welcomes and accommodates changes within families over time, offering an alternative form of habitat that challenges traditional real estate development.
The project spans 2,757 square feet and was photographed by Agnes Clotis and Rory Gardiner, with structural and civil engineering provided by BERIM. According to the architects, this innovative housing model injects new energy into large- and mid-scale collective housing construction while meeting contemporary desires to live in modern collective buildings that can adapt to residents' evolving lifestyles.
