Student Housing in Cergy

Delivered in 1969, the “Joueries” complex has undergone multiple transformations, leaving the former cinema volumes abandoned and in decline. Our project begins by valuing what already exists: understanding how these vast, dark concrete spaces can be reused, adapted, and transformed without erasing their architectural identity. Rather than demolishing and replacing, we build upon their intrinsic capacities to define a new program rooted in durability, flexibility, and common sense. By preserving the cinema building, introducing a dual address, reconnecting fragmented pedestrian routes, and integrating the project with clarity and restraint into its urban context, we turn a degraded structure into a new urban hinge.

Alongside the preserved volumes, we introduce a newly built social student residence, complemented by a climbing gym and a medical practice. Designed with comfort and efficiency in mind, the new student housing offers compact yet well-equipped living spaces tailored to young residents. Its post-and-beam structural system anticipates long-term adaptability, enabling future transformation into residential units with minimal intervention. This approach ensures that the project not only addresses today’s needs but also remains resilient and responsive to the evolving demands of the next decades.