Two gas regulator stations
were designed for GRTgaz, a branch company of Gaz de France. Both are situated
in residential suburbs, in the cities of Choisy-le-Roi and Bois d’Arcy, on the
outskirts of Paris.
The station n°1 comes as the
“first stone” of an urban redevelopment of a residential area east of
Choisy-le-Roi. It was conceived as a white pavilion: a white metal birdcage
settled on a concrete box. This concrete box, which contains all the technical
fittings, is imbedded in the existing slope. The birdcage replaces the fence
that is usually placed around the building in order to prevent public access.
The flat terraced-roof is equipped with sky windows meant to be ejected in case
of immediate gas decompression.
The station n°2 is situated in Bois d'Arcy, on the border
of a green square. A metal fence wraps around the concrete block in order to
include a car park for occasional staff visits and service. It is conceived as
a climbing wine structure, giving the building the appearance of a provisional
tent. As the vegetation grows onto the mesh, the tent-like building turns into
a large bush veiling the technical function of the post. The building appears
then as a vertical expansion of the green surface of the square.
These stations are small pressure-relieving facilities
meant for plugging residential areas onto the gas network. As for generic
technical objects, they are here also composed of the usual series of technical
devices: concrete blocks, metal fences, car park, & sky windows. Instead of
being aggregated in a catalogue, these devices are rearranged so as to adapt to
very different contexts.
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