Since 1985, in Caen, France, the Maison Départementale de l’Enfance et de la Famille du Calvados (MDEFC) has been welcoming – in a temporary nursery – children from 0 to 6 years old coming from disadvantaged or abusive homes. The aim was to protect and help children dealing with complex and traumatic situations before offering them a lasting solution, adapted to their specific needs. Because of that, in 2017 MDFEC called Paul Le Quernec Architectes to develop a new site in Fleury-sur-Orne, just outside Caen.

The resulting design appears as a kind of micro-village, vaguely reminiscent of that of the Smurfs, with cocoon-shaped housing units, organized around spaces dedicated to activities. The 28,524 square feet site has been organized into three structures: a technical building containing various workshops; a logistical building, with administrative departments, medical services, parental reception, laundry, and dining services; and a building grouping the children’s living areas.

Each unit is a small single-story house, accessible both from the outside and from the inside through a glazed lobby. Each house – sized to be suitable for children – overlooks the garden and is flooded with natural light, thanks to the openings on two terraces. To strengthen the feeling of safety and intimacy, the houses are characterized by curved and enveloping volumes, reminiscent of a warm cozy cocoon. A dense green strip, on the border of the site, further protects children from the urban noise.

“The challenge facing the operation is to ensure the well-being of children whose family settings have been disturbed. To achieve this, the project has been developed to meet three objectives: establish a physical and psychological frontier between the children’s living areas and the rest of the structure; organize the units to create several individual homes while also ensuring their functional interdependence; consider each ‘house’ as a cocoon,” stated Paul Le Quernec.