For the sixth annual AZ Awards, our intrepid jury narrowed the field from over 800 submissions, received from dozens of countries, to select just 48 finalists that stood above the rest. In addition to presenting the AZ Award winners, Azure recognized these projects, products and concepts with Awards of Merit.
This complex in the Bordeaux suburb of Bègles, France, reconciles the advantages of a single-family home with apartment-style living. LAN Architecture designed two modular buildings clad in sheet metal, like stacks of shipping containers. Each of the 79 abodes has multiple viewpoints, and a cube-like exterior space that tenants can use as a windbreak or a winter garden, or as a means of cooling and ventilating their units by simply opening large sliding panels that match the exterior cladding. Like all homeowners, the residents are free to renovate, but the high-density design keeps heating and property costs well below market.
Location: Bordeaux, France
Firm: LAN Architecture, France
Team: Benoit Jallon and Umberto Napolitano
