Offices With Terraces
The office building with terraces sets a new standard for bio-climatic offices. The project is rooted in the idea of flexible work spaces. Its composition sets it apart from traditional offices blocks, and it is part of a strongly eco-conscious approach. This building with 6,400 m2 of office space and 600 m2 of shopping floor space on the ground floor will be delivered in 2018, in the Nice Méridia urban technopole. It was designed by the Nicolas Laisné Associés architecture firm.
Project History
The Nice Méridia technopole is a priority development in the “Éco-Vallée”. It is expected to cover 200 hectares, with an initial 24 hectare operational sector. The design by Nicolas Laisné and Dimitri Roussel, associates at NL*A Paris, was short-listed alongside proposals by Cardete & Huet and TVK. On 6 March 2015, it was selected by the jury, in collaboration with the real estate promoter Pitch Promotion. Engineering consultants Grontmij, Le Sommer Environnement and Tangram Paysage are also on board to bring this project to fruition.
Reverse Plan
The traditional organisation of a building has been reversed. The circulation passages, usually placed at the heart of the building, have been moved to the façades, and are completely open to the public space. The building is thus totally open to its environment. Key elements such as staircases and elevator shafts are arranged so as to optimise the remaining surfaces. Using a construction technique based around posts and beams frees up space on the platforms and offers greater flexibility in arranging the spaces.
With the potential for open spaces, individual offices, partitions, or modular work stations, the space is designed to suit the needs of any company. Shops occupy the ground floor. The building overlooks Avenue Simone Veil and the Cours Méridia. When they take the stairs on the outside of the building, users will enjoy sweeping, unobstructed views. The connecting hallways open lines of sight to the centre of the leafy island.
Protective Façades
The building’s façades are adapted in each direction to offer shelter from the sun. They function as interfaces between outside and inside to provide improved indoor climate control. More generous avant-corps elements protect the south-facing façade from the region’s strong sunlight. It also features an outdoor staircase bedecked with plants overlooking the Cours Méridia. The façade at the heart of the island, to the west, features deeper balconies as it receives more horizontal light. The plants which cover it screen users from the housing blocks to be built on the island opposite.
Working Outside / Green Building
The large, free platforms, staircases and outdoor extensions invite building users to make the most of these informal, atypical spaces which open onto a garden. Most of the building will be covered in plants, and will change in appearance and colour with the seasons. From an environmental perspective, this project uses the Smart Grids approach (intelligent electrical distribution networks) within the framework of the “EcoCités” label process (minimal certification and commitment to a given level of performance) and will be certified BREEAM Very Good. It also adheres to the environmental recommendations presented in the Reference Framework for the CRQE (environmental quality for development and construction) set out by the EPA.
“This new office building concept draws inspiration from the Mediterranean climate and local lifestyles so as to set the tone for a new quality of life at work. The office become a meeting place, a forum with a collegial atmosphere; it lends itself to more collaborative ways of working. I am delighted to see the work accomplished by the EPA and its partners translated into a project which is so representative of the values of the Éco- Vallée. This building will serve as a model for the Nice Méridia urban technopole.” Christian Tordo President of the éco-Vallée EPA board. Source by NL*A PARIS.
Location: Nice, France
Architects: NL*A PARIS
Project Leader: Julie Siol
Project Team: Stella Buisan, Marie-Aglaé Boukouvalas, Leticia Martinez Velasco
Engineering consultants: Grontmij
Environmental engineering: Le Sommer Environnement
Landscape: Tamgram Paysage
Perspective: Tamàs Fischer
Client: Pitch Promotion
Area: 7000 m2 Sdp
Year: expected to open by 2018
Images: Courtesy of NL*A PARIS
