This housing programme is part of the porte de paris urban development zone on the edge of the historic centre of Saint-Denis. it is located at the meeting point of two contrasting urban environments: to the west is the rue de la légion d’honneur, a very busy shopping street that leads to the basilica, and to the south is the new porte de paris neighbourhood where public amenities rub shoulders with other activities. This building was designed as a key element to bond the ancient city with the modern one by interacting with two very different styles of architecture – one of them mineral and earthbound, the other sculpted and airborne.