ESAT de Villejuif | DREAM

This project is part of a New Urban Renewal Program (NPNRU) sector led by the Grand Orly Seine Bi.vre territorial public establishment (EPT) and the city of Villejuif. Located in a priority urban policy district, it contributes to the urban redevelopmentof the northern part of the Lozaits area.

The ESAT Lozaits-Seguin is set in a park of local species, with century-old trees preserved to punctuate the landscape.

It contains several creative and shaping workshops, a cafeteria, logistics areas and offices. It illustrates the approach adopted by the DREAM agency in popular neighborhoods, where the use of wood in both structure and materiality helps avoid the predominance of concrete in these areas.

To meet the needs of a sensitive public, the architectural design focused on the ergonomics of the spaces to promote mental well-being. This resulted in a layout of the workshops without corridors, emphasizing the influx of natural light and transparency, with a maximum choice of exposed wood.

The production hub and its workshops, the nerve center of the ESAT, offer an identifiable building with a conspicuous silhouette and natural materials at the heart of the neighborhood.

Workshops are multi-purpose, open and evolving spaces, designed with adaptable ceiling heights to evolve and be modulated as needed. They are bathed in natural light. To address well-being and comfort challenges, special attention was given to acoustics, whose psychosomatic impact is often underestimated.

An interior wood fiber coating was used to provide visual and aesthetic comfort as well as thermal and acoustic comfort. The shed roof allows north light to enter each workshop. Beyond the reassuring warmth of the omnipresent wood, this unique architectural treatment offers the ESAT comfortable and bright workspaces while avoiding summer overheating.

The logistics spaces, on the other hand, offer a hybrid covered area that facilitates movement and encounters. User feedback on the psychosomatic effects of exposed wood is unequivocal: its impact on the sense of well-being and concentration is beneficial.

As part of the realization of the new Lozaits- Seguin ESAT (Work Assistance Establishment and Services), the DREAM agency, Ateliers M.dicis, and the R.ve association have partnered to host artist Alassan Diawara in a research and creation residency focusing on the theme of disability.

As the first .beyond the walls. resident to benefit from this residency proposed by the R.ve association, Alassan Diawara began his research and creative work in January 2023 with the workers with disabilities at the Lozaits-Seguin ESAT. He discussed with them, their transition from the old building to the new one, and artistically examined the social and geographical challenges brought about by this change.

This collaboration led to a series of portraits of the ESAT residents, varied images that, in his words, .show all the humanity of this place.. Several of these photos have found a natural place in the entrance hall of the new facility, as well as in the workshops and offices, welcoming visitors with kindness and direct eye contact.

Dream Team: Julien De Speville, Claire Parrotin (project manager) and Théo Diverrès.

Photography: Cyrille Weiner