in the heart of paris, wild rabbits architecture (WRA) has designed ‘maison plissée’ – which translates as the ‘pleated house‘. situated in the 14th arrondissement of montparnasse, the scope of the project first saw the demolition of an existing small house to allow the insertion of a larger, more contemporary volume in between the traditional parisian buildings.

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom

all images © daniel moulinet

 

 

as the name suggests, the most distinctive character of the design is the ‘pleated’ elevation, which has been formed using steel mesh. in addition to creating an interesting aesthetic, WRA has also specified the mesh to provide privacy to residents as behind this metal, the street façade is actually completely glazed. the space in between these two elements – the mesh and the glazed façade – contains a garden area, spanning over 7 floors.

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom
the pleated façade which gives ‘maison plissée’ its name

 

 

the program of the house is split over the floors to give each level a separate function. accessed via an elevator, a mini penthouse-like space can be found on top of the apartment, which comprises the kitchen and an outdoor patio that benefits from panoramic rooftop views and vast amounts of natural light. on the lower floors, living, bedroom and bathroom spaces can be found. as they do not benefit from as much natural light as the upper floor, these areas provide a more private, intimate interior atmosphere.

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom
a glimpse of the house and garden space can be see through the mesh façade

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom
detail of the steel mesh

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom

a view at 1st floor showing the space in between the glazed and steel mesh façade

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom
the entrance at 1st floor level

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom

the bathroom at 3rd floor

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom
5th floor – each level is home to a different function

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom
the top level kitchen space, with rooftop views

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom
the living area stretches out to a semi-outdoor space

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom
the patio gains impressive views over the parisian skyline

WRA forms a pleated steel mesh façade for parisian residence designboom
the height of the volume has been designed to match the surrounding buildings

 

 

project info:

 

project name: ‘la maison plissée’

project location: pernety, montparnasse, paris, france

architect: wild rabbits architecture (WRA)

photography: daniel moulinet

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: lynne myers | designboom