Designed for a plot with highly controlled volumetry, the project includes a 196-unit student residence, a 34-room extrahospital hotel residence, retail units, and a parking facility. The architectural proposal combines three design registers, aiming to establish itself with sobriety and character on a highly visible site.
Client: VINCI IMMOBILIER
Programme: Construction of a hotel residence and a student residence, two shops and a 48-space car park.
Competition: winner
Mission: Complete. Design, construction management.
Surface area: 6 324 m²
Budget: 12 348 000 €
Associate architects: BEEL Architekten (Belgium)
Engineering: CE Ingénierie (structural), Bastide Bondoux (fluids), Gamba (acoustics), Étamine (thermal and certifications), CL Infra (roads and utilities)
Landscape architect: Coloco
Certification: NF Habitat HQE Excellent level (8 stars), Pacte Bois-biosourcé level 3, Label Effinergie 2020
The Thello plot, where the project is located, lies within the Corbeville development zone in Orsay, specifically at the corner of a large landscaped courtyard and a boulevard carrying an elevated metro line, facing the forecourt of the Paris-Saclay Hospital.
The architectural ensemble is based on a ground-floor plinth, topped by two volumes: a 5-storey building (R+5) to the west and a 7-storey building (R+7) to the east. The student residence primarily occupies the R+5 building and the southern part of R+7, while the hotel accommodation is concentrated at the northeast corner of R+7, in direct relationship with the nearby hospital.
Circulation systems are clearly separated: two cores serve the R+7 building and a central core serves R+5, distinguishing the two uses (student residence – collective housing, and hotel – public-access building, type O, 5th category).
Outdoor spaces include a large shared rooftop terrace on the first floor, accessible from both residences and protected to the north by a screen façade facing the metro line 18 viaduct. Additionally, the hotel features a shared terrace at level +7 and private terraces for the one-bedroom units, while 25 student studios benefit from south-facing outdoor spaces.
The structure is a timber-concrete hybrid system. External façades are clad in blue-grey timber, while internal façades are finished with white glazed tiles, ensuring durability, ease of maintenance, and aesthetic contrast. All openings are equipped with lacquered aluminium external blinds (BSO) to ensure optimal thermal comfort.
The project pays particular attention to its contextual integration: a strong vertical expression for the hotel volume at the courtyard/boulevard corner facing the hospital, a horizontal architectural treatment for the student housing, and an animated southern façade through fully south-facing units.
Finally, the landscape strategy extends existing green frameworks (landscaped pedestrian lane, planted strip along Friedel Boulevard) and promotes biodiversity through features adapted to local species (bird and bat boxes, insect habitats, etc.).
The project delivers a total floor area of 6,324 sqm and includes:
– A 196-unit student residence (189 studios and 7 one-bedroom units)
– A 34-room extrahospital hotel residence
– A caretaker’s dwelling
– Two retail units on the ground floor facing the Cours de Corbeville
– A 48-space underground parking facility
