Offices in Aubervilliers

This office building plays an important role in the development of the Nozal Front Populaire neighbourhood development zone on the northern edge of Paris. It borders Rue du Pilier, which is set to become a busy urban artery as the shortest route from the new Place du Front Populaire to the Canal de l'Ourcq.

Our project reconciles the functional requirements of a blank office building (compact, divisible, typologically homogenous with a continuous depth of 18m, identical floors, etc.) with a division of massing that introduces a form of relief, of rhythm to aid its integration into the urban landscape. The compact volume is subdivided into four parts articulated by slight translations and rotations. These variations give a sequential reading of the facades while maintaining a functional unity from the 2nd floor up. On the ground floor an entrance porch opens right through to the internal gardens and provides independent public access to a gym, which itself is given increased visibility from the street by means of a double-height, fully glazed facade.