Stacks in the City
Architect Stephane Malka's passion is to renew urban life by making clever use of under-utilised spaces in cities. This remarkable house in the Boulogne Billancourt area of Paris is a great example.
The brief is to build a two-storey extension to a 19th century house on an ordinary city street. In response, the architect proposed a series of prefabricated volumes stacked, tetris style, on top of the existing garage. This creates a dynamic front facade, painted black with custom window shutters for privacy, and a lively rear facade with overhangs and balconies, painted white to reflect the south-facing aspect. This graphic approach continues indoors: black frames highlight the "joints" between the volumes whilst bold bursts of colour provide interest and surprise.
All this is far from form over function. The boxy volumes are constructed off-site, which minimises construction time and disruption. The key ingredient is a patented panel made of natural and recyclable materials with superb insulation properties. If the architect's vision takes hold, expect to see clever buildings like this landing on your neighbourhood soon.
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Malka ArchitectureShop the Style
Product Inspiration
Use bold shapes and bright colours to create maximum sculptural impact. Try the Bonnie & Clyde coffee table from Dooq, the Lucia dining chair from Coedition and the Chariot trolley from Desalto.
For bright and shapely lights look no further than the Escape suspension light from LZF, the Olo table lamp from Moustache and the Sliced Sphere suspension light from Frederik Roije.
Sculptural accessories, such as the Saturno plant holder from Car-Met, the Darkly mirror from Menu and the Spire metal wall hooks from Finell, are great for adding interest to any space.
