Three volumetric typologies define a new office complex containing 495,150 SF, spectacularly site along the bank of the Seine River in a Paris suburb. The development consists of three buildings connected by courtyards, retail and 3 levels of parking.
The Bar: A rectangular prism is placed along the SNCF rail line, establishing an urban edge and anchoring the development. This rectangle relates geometrically to the orthogonal texture of the neighborhoods beyond. It provides a buffer from the SNCF rail line activity but, through its glassy transparency, visually connects the project to the Issy district.
The Towers: Three sculpted volumes stand forward of the rectangular bar, reaching towards the river and appearing as freestanding objects in the composition. Two of them intersect the bar, one is free. These forms are intended to be evocative and character defining. In their dynamism, they imply movement, in contrast with the static nature of the bar. Shallow curved glass surfaces begin apart at the bar and gently converge to a point as they reach towards the quay. The resultant space between them opens up vistas toward the river and exposes the buildings with equal presence to le Boulevard Périphérique and the quay.
The Base: An organic, undulating form constitutes the podium from which the buildings rise. This new geography, or man-made topography, conceals the numerous functions of the building base, providing an unexpected setting for the composition. The podium blends with the property’s grounds along the quay, with the power plant’s adjacent park, and with the new park proposed between the office development and the Périphérique roadway. The intent is to eliminate defined boundaries for both the newly created parks and the development site. This produces the double benefit of a larger park, and the perception of a larger site from which the buildings rise.
View Original