RUE BARBUSSE Clichy (France) - 2016

Contexte & enjeux

The street is a collage of architectures from all periods, where each building has its own relationship to alignment: set back a long way for the 1970s office complex, on the boundary for the suburban building on the corner, set back behind a garden for a small private mansion… All configurations seem to be present here.

The project is installed on two adjoining plots after demolition of the two existing buildings, which were incompatible with contemporary tertiary standards (no floor, thickness, etc.). The building is designed to accommodate the headquarters of a large private or public company, and its geometry is flexible enough to be rented to several companies independently.

A first building on the street, resolutely contemporary, holds the alignment. The splitting of its volumetry allows the sequencing of the curtain wall line and the generation of small exteriors. The expression of the pure geometry of the 1.35 frames, the variations in rhythm, under the diffuse light of the North, associates the building with the ideas of structural efficiency, elegance and sobriety – free from fashionable effects.

A second building is organised around two landscaped patios providing natural light and views over the gardens. Approaching 10,000m², the complex is dense, but amply equipped with south-facing terraces (the “deck”), conviviality areas, nomadic outdoor offices, and outdoor coworking spaces, adapted to nomadic and connected workers.