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Office building, Paris

Manuelle Gautrand delivers an origami-inspired marbled facade.

PARIS (FR) - While the original concept for the facade of this new office building – located mere steps away from the Arc de Triomphe in an upscale Parisian neighbourhood – utilized actual marble, in the end the team at Manuelle Gautrand Architecture opted for a double skin of screen-printed glass to realize the desired effect of a vast and delicate sheet of folded paper. Serving as both decorative element on the exterior and daylight filter for the interior, the crimped and folded beige curtain wall facing Boulevard de Friedland succeeds in visually blending with its surroundings in both colour and form, even going so far as to subtly flatten at the edges nearest the adjacent structures. The translucent character of the marbled glass panelling is translated into the interior spaces as well, with soft, light-coloured materials contributing to the overall luminous effect. In terms of durability and aesthetics, the project's final outcome is quite appropriate for contemporary architecture in the French capital. (Dutton R. Hauhart)

The programme involved the demolition of an existing building (office building from the 1970s) with conservation of a four‐level underground parking lot, and the construction of an office building (about 300 work spaces). The building comprises luxury offices, lobby, relaxation area and cafeteria, six meeting rooms, computer rooms, technical premises, archives, and parking lot (85 spaces). The building features two courtyard gardens, and the top of the building provides a combination of part garden roof, part wooden deck terrace.

Developed for Gecina, this 5800 m² office building is situated within 200 metres from the Arc de Triomphe and now hosts the French headquarters of the Barclays Capital Bank. The building was designed and developed with a strong sustainability approach. The facade is dressed in a double skin of glass and, in an origami manner with its pleated marble pattern, forms a sunscreen in front of a curtain wall. It gives a desired mineral touch, which thus contributes to the building's integration into the neighbourhood.

Saturday | 18 February | 2012 | France | Manuelle Gautrand Architecture