A major residential project in Versailles has delivered 137 apartments through the transformation and expansion of a historic former girls' boarding school, combining restored architecture with new-build housing set within landscaped grounds.
© Chartier Dalix
The La Bruyère estate, completed in 2025, occupies a 1.6-hectare site acquired by Emerige Résidentiel from the local authority. The plot previously housed administrative offices after the original early 20th-century school use.
Designed by architecture practices Franklin Azzi and Chartier-Dalix, with landscaping by Mugo, the €29m development comprises 20 buildings, including 11 refurbished structures and nine new constructions.
The scheme includes 95 private homes sold to JPMorgan and 42 social housing units acquired by Les Résidences Yvelines Essonne.
Designers said the project sought to preserve the site's historic identity while introducing contemporary housing. New buildings were shaped around mature trees, while façades use hand-moulded grey brick to echo the character of existing architecture. Landscaped areas feature more than 800 newly planted trees and shrubs, pedestrian walkways, rainwater basins and integrated timber seating.
Parking has been placed underground to maintain open views across the grounds. New residential blocks rise to four storeys, with upper duplex apartments featuring roof terraces.
The development reflects growing demand in France for projects that combine heritage reuse, higher-density housing and nature-led urban living, particularly in sought-after residential markets around Paris.
Source: www.lemoniteur.fr
