La Liberte

“La Liberté”, social housing and office building, has been realized within a constant collaboration between the client, the architect and the City of Groningen. The project is a strong symbol of the urban renewal and the social development of the city. As the request was to build high up, the architect leans on this horizontality to create a crescendo of volumes. The project comprises the construction of two square plan buildings: one tower of approximately 80 meters (tower A), and another of 40 meters high (tower B). The housing blocks are hanging above the offices thanks to a 5 meters high terrace. In this “in-between”, only a core, sheltering the common spaces, brings an easy transition between the private spaces and the offices. At last, a footbridge, located at the same level and opened to the users, links up the both towers. Through the treatment of the façades, Dominique Perrault creates a real dialogue between the both buildings and between the project and its urban environment. Whatever the viewpoint, the façades of the three housing blocks never offer the same treatment of colours – black, grey and whites. These shades of colour strengthen the stack impression and energize the city skyline.