The project involves the rehabilitation of 216 occupied dwellings, the renovation of the basement levels and parking facility, and the requalification of the common areas and inner garden of the Square Etex residential complex, located in Créteil. The intervention aims to improve energy performance, the quality of the living environment, residents’ comfort, and the architectural image of this housing complex built in 1981.
Client: Immobilière 3F
Programme: Rehabilitation, while the buildings were inhabited, of the 5 buildings of the Square Etex residence, including the renovation of the building envelope, technical systems, common areas, and the parking facility, as well as the redevelopment of the outdoor spaces and the inner garden.
Surface Area: 16 434 m²
Budget: 11 716 000 + VAT
Mission: complete mission
Engineering: LGX ingenierie
Landscape: Vincent Lion Paysage
Improvement in the energy performance rating (DPE)
The Square Etex residence occupies an entire urban block bordered by major roads and the metro line. It consists of five buildings ranging from eleven to sixteen storeys, organized around a large slab garden. The complex includes 216 dwellings, ten entrance halls, and several basement levels accommodating parking, storage units, and technical rooms. Its architecture—characterized by rendered façades, ribbed spandrels, and a rational composition—is representative of late 20th-century social housing.
Today, the complex presents several pathologies mainly related to aging: soiling and cracking of façades, deteriorated windows with poor air and water tightness, degraded loggias, insufficient ventilation, and inadequate thermal comfort reported by most residents. Common areas and basement levels also show signs of deterioration due to an outdated and insufficient access control system. The central garden, progressively modified to incorporate accessibility ramps, has lost part of its usability and spatial clarity.
The rehabilitation project aims to sustainably improve the comfort of the dwellings and the quality of the shared spaces. It includes façade renovation with a sober, contemporary, and timeless expression; full refurbishment of flat roofs; replacement of windows and the addition of solar shading devices currently lacking; optimization of ventilation; and modernization of interior systems. On the façades, the removal of spandrel panels in living areas is planned to open up the dwellings more generously toward the refurbished and enhanced loggias.
The common areas will be reconfigured to integrate safety, accessibility, and architectural coherence. Particular attention will be given to strengthening access control, implementing video surveillance, and improving circulation and flow separation within the parking areas.
The redesign of the slab garden and surrounding outdoor spaces will provide a more pleasant living environment by reintroducing uses and enhancing the landscape quality at the heart of the residence.
Overall, the project seeks a balance between respect for the existing structure and ambitious modernization, with the aim of offering residents a safer, more comfortable environment adapted to contemporary challenges.
