Habib Bourguiba Hall
The Habib Bourguiba Hall is the second student residence built by the Fondation de la Maison de Tunisie, which is funded by the Tunisian government. Located in the mythic leafy grounds of Paris?s Cité Internationale Universitaire ? a unique concentration of cultures, nature, and architecture ?, it allows the foundation to double the number of students it can accommodate.
Photography by © Salem Mostefaoui
Our project?s organic form surmounts the difficulties of a site that is very exposed, not only to the elements but also to noise and the gaze. Its external envelope, which protects and unites, is at once a filter and a work of art, a calligraphic abstraction signifying the country it represents, Tunisia.
Counting 200 bedrooms for both students and researchers, the building prioritizes communal spaces that ensure a welcoming and studious atmosphere. A spectacular top-lit atrium federates the whole with its spiraling vertical connections. The building also features a 250-seat auditorium, a tearoom open to the public, a communal kitchen/dining room, and a reading room. Photography by © Salem Mostefaoui
At ground-floor level, the curving façade leads visitors naturally towards the glass-walled entrance hall with its Tunisian-style garden at the rear, which is accessible to the general public.
Inside, the hall of residence wraps around fluid and light-filled atrium, a space of encounter and exchange that students are encouraged to appropriate. The atrium...