Blueprint Awards 2015: The winners
Best Non-Public Use Project - Residential
Winner: Studio Odile Decq, Paris, France
Saint-Ange Residency, Grenoble, France
JUDGE'S COMMENTS
'It did not take me long to put this project to the top of my list! The work of a true architect.' Eva Jiricna
Saint-Ange Residency by Studio Odile Decq is the result of a competition run by French contemporary art collector Colette Tournier in 2013. The aim was to establish an artist residency on her medieval Tour St-Ange estate in Seyssins, near Grenoble, France. Three architects were asked to submit a project, with Odile Decq's project finally being selected. Odile Decq's Saint-Ange Residency sits on the lower side of the estate, on a steep slope overlooking Grenoble's golf course and the French town's valley beyond.
'The idea was to create a place entirely dedicated to creation, where two artists per year could come for a residency, to live and pursue their work in a high-quality place surrounded by nature,' says Odile Decq. 'The site is beautiful for its unobstructed views but difficult for its hard and narrow slope. When we discovered it, creating a view overlooking the entire valley became the dominant idea.'The solution was to create a dark, woodenclad tower that twists and turns to create a look-out above the trees and across the valley. Inside, a black spiral staircase links the three storeys, from the studio spaces in the basement and bedrooms on the first floor to the viewing deck at the top. During the daytime, multiple openings on the facade allow natural light in to the spaces, while at night, wooden shutters transform the building into a black monolith. Odile Decq describes it as a 'silent piece of art'.
Highly Commended
Brady Mallalieu Architects, London, UK
22-28 Underwood Road, London, UK
Jamie Fobert Architects, London, UK
Levring House, London, UK
Image: Dennis Gilbert
Commended
DSDHA, London, UK
Covert House, London, UK
Image: Christoffer Rudquist
Patel Taylor, London, UK
Courtyard Housing, London, UK
Proctor and Matthews Architects, London, UK
Abode at Great Kneighton, Cambridge, UK
Image: Tim Crocker
Finalists
Chris Dyson Architects, London, UK
Gasworks, Cotswolds, UK
CZWG, London, UK
Aurelia, Rathbone Market Phase Two, London, UK
Giles Pike Architects, London, UK
Sewdley Street, London, UK
IPT Architects, London, UK
Howe Farm, Buckinghamshire, UK
Knox Bhavan Architects, London, UK
London Brownstones, London, UK
Liddicoat & Goldhill, London, UK
The Ancient Party Barn, Kent, UK
Sanjay Puri Architects, Mumbai, India
The Origami House, Pune, India
TateHindle, London, UK
The Old Library, Leamington Spa, UK
Category sponsored by Vitrocsa mineral
Main image: Roland Halbe