A stately square for the Familistère in Guise (FR)

The outdoor space around the Familistère in Guise in France has been remodelled, injecting new imagery into the historic residential complex through unique paving with sleek, extruded pavers.

The French town of Guise is home to the Familistère, a stately residential complex built by manufacturer Jean-Baptiste André Godin in 1859 for his staff. The Familistère has recently been renovated, including the outdoor space. The remodelling needed to emphasise the historic character of the location, whilst forging the different buildings making up the complex into a single, coherent unit. All superfluous elements were removed from the public space to bring the original configuration into clear focus. The buildings now stand in a large square of clay pavers, helping to create a natural entity. The paving contains occasional ‘islands’ of planting and seating.

The uniform paving in the square and access routes have an understated character, allowing the buildings to stand out. The red façades contrast well with the anthracite pavers. Parisian architects h2o opted for the extruded paver Marina in kei size (200 x 100 mm) with a thickness of 65 mm for the square and a thickness of 80 mm for the road.

Contractor ISS Espaces Verts paved the square with 12,500 m² of pavers using a Hunklinger paving clamp . Laying paving with a machine helps to reduce the physical burden on road workers and maintain the consistency of the paving. The high laying speed meant that an area of 250 m² could be completed every day. The work was completed in March 2013.