Located in the southwest of Paris, the Saclay Plateau has been the home to a number of French national institutions as well as several private business research centers. As one of the new economic players present at Saclay, EDF envisions the construction of two new establishments: a Center for Research and Development and a Training Center for EDF employees. The two projects will be located in the “Palaiseau” zone in the south of the Plateau, near the Polytechnic School. The program spreads out on an orthogonal grid around the principal agora element, forming a coherent whole, with overlapping average height spaces and large height spaces. Thanks to their complementary qualities, the different elements come together in architectural symbiosis to form a unique building, structured like a city in which each function finds its ideal place. For example, offices and teaching spaces yearn for natural light while shrinking from sunshine, overheating, blinding effects: in their placement here, they profit from constant natural light without drawback. Conversely, accommodation and restaurant facilities profit form their southern orientation with direct sunlight.
While the building’s exterior presents a beautiful machine of the 21st Century, draped in shifting veils of enameled white aluminum slats, the interior is warm and welcoming.
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