Inauguration of Domaine Saint-Jean in Montpellier in place of the old clinic: “Grand couture!”

Sébastien Robert, regional director of Bouygues Immobilier, Michaël Delafosse, Maryse Faye, urban planning assistant, Philippe Bonon, architect of the operation for A+ Architecture. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

The people of Montpellier have long benefited from its "hospitality", and often "dark" to pediatric emergencies! The Saint-Jean clinic, demolished and moved to Saint-Jean-de-Védas in 2020, gave way to the Domaine Saint-Jean. In a classified and exceptional wooded area, social tenants and co-owners coexist. Bouygues Immobilier inaugurated it this Tuesday, with great fanfare.

Residents of the neighborhood and beyond have long enjoyed its "hospitality", and often "dark" to pediatric emergencies "so practical in the city center", recalls a resident of the Boutonnet district, attracted by the reception barnums set up by Bouygues Immobilier for the inauguration of the brand new Domaine Saint-Jean.

A main building and several rehabilitated state houses

Since the demolition of the clinic in 2020 (read below), three years of work have been necessary to make way for a residence of 113 housing units, including 34 social in PSL (social rental loan) or intermediate housing managed by Altémed ACM, and 79 in accession, marketed by Bouygues Immobilier.

All distributed in a main building on 5 floors, 3 state houses with private garden rehabilitated with the architect of the buildings of France, and four others having housed the clinic's offices. "These are renovated by the buyers", indicates Adrien Maire, in charge of marketing. "We had a lot of fun there. The argument was the environment and the know-how "good father" from Bouygues, without bling-bling.

The economy of an original work of art in the halls

We no longer stay there, we now live there, and we are proud to be there, more in our forties or fifties, sometimes, a former doctor at the clinic. No exuberant luxury, swimming pool or fitness room at the top, but the extreme discretion of a high standing literally " draped " of white concrete, with what appears to be a work of art in each of the halls.

In reality a splendid "thin slice of backlit South American stone measuring 3 meters by 2", imagined by Anaïs, from the architecture firm. Or how to save "50 000 € as an original work of art.

Domaine Saint-Jean stretches out in the heart of 2,000 m² of classified and protected woods. Midi Libre – JEAN-MICHEL MART

All around, gardens mulched with wood chips and carefully tamed flowering vegetation, in a classified wood of 2000 m², under arbors, between wooden footbridges& hellip; "Reinvesting in the urban environment means improving the quality of life of the existing", recalls Michaël Delafosse who in the past had to calm the concerns of local residents.

From 1956 to 2020, a private clinic

The clinic was between 1956 precisely (read below) and August 20, 2020, the date on which the very last patient was transferred to the new site dedicated to Saint-Jean-de-Védas.

The entrance to the Saint-Jean clinic.

Chance or coincidence, or the height of bad luck, it concerns a man injured after a fall from a bicycle, and who is none other than Philippe Bonon, one of the founding partners of the firm A + architecture which thus inaugurates the health establishment that he co-designed: in an ambulance and his head is already full of the new project which is at 36 avenue Bouisson Bertrand.

We will no longer practice stitches there, but the "grand couture", explains it& ;rsquo;architect who describes this project "as one of the most interesting and complex of his career", despite the pitfalls "recourse, Covid or the increase in the price of materials".

"L’purchasing pleasure" co-owners

Driven by hedonistic motivations, the co-owners talk "of pleasure purchasing", of innovation architectural, and of course "heritage investment". "Investors represent 20 % of the co-ownership", indicates Sébastien Robert, director of Bouygues Immobilier which financed a project "of approximately 15 M€".

A pleasure that quickly panics calculators, "on average 6 500 € per square meter". The six rooftops from 100 to 145 m² flew away in the space of a few weeks, to the tune of 10,000 euros; the square meter. "I have never sold so quickly", underlines Adrien Maire. A F4 type apartment costs more than 2,000 € for rental.

As for the owners, we see the glass is still half full! We were able to move in in December, "without hot water", we sometimes say to each other  "worn"by the ongoing work, "disappointed" by the bicycle room "tiny" and the basement flooded by a capricious water table.

Social diversity

We would have preferred "arrive later", whispers one of them who sees with a concerned eye, the arrival of the 34 social tenants, "but we are open !". "It’has been included in the SRU law since 2000", Michaël Delafosse will recall. With identical technical and energy performances, social apartment or not, who would have bet around twenty years ago on such a mix at the heart of a real estate luxury ?

As for the tenants, "I appreciate the beauty, the calm and above all the neighborhood which has always been very lively, very popular", rejoices this 80-year-old retiree, ex-teacher, a little annoyed at worrying her neighbors. "We'll get to know each other", promises another.

Only the wrought iron gate remains, an old well and a stele where the motto of Doctor Ginestié is engraved in the stone: "Never depend , always understand". Enough to meditate under the arbor…