Nice Grand Arénas

Located on a triangular site near the sea and airport, the project’s three buildings work together to define a peaceful neighborhood green space, or cœur d’îlot, in the center of the block. Sheltered from the surrounding busy streets, this courtyard garden offers residents and the greater community a welcoming, verdant place to relax and socialize.

The buildings’ lobed, leaf-like plans are designed to sustainably enhance the environment of the garden, as well as the living and working spaces. As in nature, their large and small indentations (échancrures) allow daylight and fresh air to flow through the site, while simultaneously providing sun, wind, and noise protection. In addition, the lobed plans bring multiple orientations, views, and privacy to the apartments and offices within—many of which extend into outdoor balconies.

The architecture also follows the logic of living vegetation in the vertical dimension. Like a heliotropic plant that moves in response to the sun, the depth and orientation of the façade’s “petals” are specifically tuned to the sun’s path for optimal shading, reducing cooling loads as well as offering wind and noise protection for the balconies and indoor spaces. Their modular and efficient construction significantly reduces the project’s embodied carbon, working in tandem with the project’s other green strategies—a wood-concrete structure, biodiverse vegetation, and PV panels—to lower energy and resource use, bringing France closer to achieving its 2050 climate goals and the inhabitants of Nice closer to the nature and beauty of their city.