Laziza, a once renowned beer brand, transforms into a residential complex of lofts with their adjoining gardens and public spaces. From a distance, a vertical tower signals the project as a distant echo of the port with its container structures, cranes and silos. Internally, large voids are carved out of the mass of the building in order to create two planted courtyards that will insure accessibility as well as ample light and ventilation for the housing units. A system of outdoor circulation extends the sidewalk into the complex all the way to the roof terrace. On the roof, 5 individual villas are placed on the platform as individual pavilions. The expression of the building is that of an industrial landscape with its towers and water tanks, and its colorful container-like volumes. The main body of the facade is covered with an additional layer of operable metal screens that can create the possibility of an outdoor garden space inside every loft, at once cross-ventilated and totally private. In collaboration with Bernard Read More