Holbrook House

In order to fit the new building on this tightly-packed street corner, the designers undoubtedly drew on their inner child to find the creative, playful and unabashed energy that emanates from this creation. Rather than concentrating the accommodation units into a single linear block, they made the decision to split the project into three buildings that cohabit in the greatest intimacy, without jostling one another, thanks to the subtle interplay of scale and materials. The highest block, clad in a host of shades of blue-tinted glass, stretches its vertical lines up to the sky; the very narrow central block, covered in reflective anodised aluminium, provides the link with its medium height; lastly the lowest of the three buildings, entirely covered in terracotta, contrasts with the overall development, offering a more marked presence, viewed by the
architects as a sign of robustness and firm roots. Described by its designers as a sculpted block, this cubic building cleverly avoids the impression of a solid mass thanks to a graphic, dynamic façade. Grey ridged Piterak® Slim rainscreen cladding panels, installed horizontally, are combined here with smooth, lighter coloured terracotta elements that frame the windows and mark out a grid effect in relief. These pieces were custom-developed by Terreal to meet the architects’ goal of creating a grid pattern with no visible joints, except for those forming a square at the corners.