Petite Maison is located partially on the plain surface of the forecourt and partially over the green slope towards the parking. The foundation systems will contain different designs according to the height, the material composition of the surfaces and equally in accordance with the disposal of the public water and power networks located under the ground.
As Petite Maison is an ephemeral building, any possible permanent damage of the existing materials, surfaces and systems is avoided.
Following the advancement of PETITE MAISON, in the last 2 weeks we have developed, together with all the engineering teams involved:
1.The arrangement of the foundations.
2. The design of the steel structure consisting the types and dimensions of the columns and the beams as well as the position of the bracing elements.
3.The types, dimensions, and the position of the slabs.​​​​​​​
1. The arrangement of the foundations.
The pavement bricks (on Petite Maison’s footprint) are fixed on a crushed compacted sand bed; these are to be removed and stored to be refixed in place after 2022. The bricks and crushed sand (540mm in total) lay on an earth-stone mixture covered with a geotextile.
Petite Maison is to be only one step higher (approx. 15cm) than the level of the forecourt to facilitate the access and to become a covered extension of the public space.
Therefore, this decision of maintaining a small level difference, between the existing and the new space, is a challenging constrain in the design process of the foundations considering our intention to protect as much as possible the layering of materials from the forecourt.
The foundations on the parking side are to be placed in the earth. The type and the manner of fixing and connecting these elements are still in discussion as more information on the existing situation is needed.
On the concrete foundations, the steel columns are to be mechanically fixed.
2. The design of the steel structure consisting the types and dimensions of the columns and the beams as well as the positions of the bracing elements.
The primary structure of Petite Maison is composed by elements made from steel: columns, beams and bracings that connected to each other in demountable manners using, when possible, the REDUCE connections.
The steel structure is to be visible from the outside, the connections are meant to be easily observed and understood by the future visitors. On top of the steel frames, the lighter wooden structure of the roof is fixed in the continuation of the vertical axis; foundations-steel frame-wooden frame.
Profiles:
HEA 320 x 10 columns:
HEB 320 x 5 beams on the axis 1,2,3,4 and 5:
HEA 220 x 15  beams of the axis A and B:
L 60 x 10 vertical bracing elements
RD 20 x 8 horizontal bracing elements
The types, dimensions, and the position of the slabs. The ground floor slab is made of composite concrete slabs of 540x270 cm fixed on the A, B, C, D and E structural axes.The slab covering the compact unit consists of wooden beams placed in the IPEs, upon which the elements needed to protect and insulate the interior are layered.
This act of placing the slab and its inner structure in the steel beam profiles is meant to reduce the space required for a configuration as such and to use at their maximum potential the standardised structural elements.
The terrace is made out 3 composite slabs of 405x270 cm fixed on the 1,2 and 3 axes laying on (not inside) the steel structure.
See you soon,
Carole, Dragos, Christoph and Andras