Architecture
21/04/2016
Three questions for Architecture et Environnement
Loft.lu met the Architecture et Environnement team, which developed the housing estate projects for developer Capelli, Les Jardins de Gabriella in Livange and Heide Park in Beaufort.
Pierre Kelecom, director, and Xavier Etienne, architect, answered our questions.
What are Groupe Capelli's requirements ?
PK : When we met Groupe Capelli, we were curious at first; we were indeed wondering what this French group would be able to bring to Luxembourg, but it is developing a very interesting concept. It aims to offer inexpensive, affordable housing. There is no miracle: since prices per square metre are the same everywhere, you have to build fewer square metres. So we realize that we can build smaller houses that still offer interesting and perfectly comfortable spaces. In relation to the floor areas offered, the architectural quality does not suffer.
How did you conceive the houses in these two housing estates ?
XE : Personally, the thinking I try to apply to each project is to understand how people live inside their houses and then imagine the exterior form.
Pierre Kelecom, director, and Xavier Etienne, architect, answered our questions.
What are Groupe Capelli's requirements ?
PK : When we met Groupe Capelli, we were curious at first; we were indeed wondering what this French group would be able to bring to Luxembourg, but it is developing a very interesting concept. It aims to offer inexpensive, affordable housing. There is no miracle: since prices per square metre are the same everywhere, you have to build fewer square metres. So we realize that we can build smaller houses that still offer interesting and perfectly comfortable spaces. In relation to the floor areas offered, the architectural quality does not suffer.
How did you conceive the houses in these two housing estates ?
XE : Personally, the thinking I try to apply to each project is to understand how people live inside their houses and then imagine the exterior form.
Above all, to create a machine for living in where people can picture themselves living inside their house before creating an object. So we first think of something that is pleasant to live in, and then comes the form. We introduce them to their space. For my part, it is more important to think about how we live before thinking about a super-stylish object.
What do Capelli houses have that others do not ?
XE : The connection to the outdoors is very important. Beaufort was the first project we developed with Capelli. The developer came with one imperative : this contact with the outdoors. Whether it is a garden or a generous balcony, the Capelli company thus develops its image around conviviality and, to use its own words, the barbecue. It is company policy: every person who has bought a Capelli property must be able to use a barbecue there. For them, it is the symbol of conviviality, and that is precisely why it appears in our projects. The garden becomes a place for conviviality but also an additional space.
To find out more about Les Jardins de Gabriella and Heide Park, contact Unicorn on 26 54 17 17.
What do Capelli houses have that others do not ?
XE : The connection to the outdoors is very important. Beaufort was the first project we developed with Capelli. The developer came with one imperative : this contact with the outdoors. Whether it is a garden or a generous balcony, the Capelli company thus develops its image around conviviality and, to use its own words, the barbecue. It is company policy: every person who has bought a Capelli property must be able to use a barbecue there. For them, it is the symbol of conviviality, and that is precisely why it appears in our projects. The garden becomes a place for conviviality but also an additional space.
To find out more about Les Jardins de Gabriella and Heide Park, contact Unicorn on 26 54 17 17.
