Program: Restructuring an office building

Client : SCOR

Promoter : Bouygues Immobilier

Surface area: 22 000 m²

Delivery : 2017

Architect : Agence d’Architecture A. Bechu

& Associés Project manager :

Georges Dogaru, partner

Associate architect: François Leclercq

Interior Designer : Volume ABC

C r e d i t s

Located in the heart of the Saint-Lazare district, on the corner of Rue de Londres and Place de Budapest, the Intown building, acquired by Scor in 2013, was restructured by our agency in association with François Leclercq and Bouygues Immobilier’s Réhagreen team.The building has been completely redesigned so that it opens onto the city and offers all the services and functions needed to ensure that the company occupying it can operate comfortably and efficiently. Thanks to the reorganisation, the building has gained more than 3,000 m² of floor space. It will shortly become the new headquarters of Banque de France. Its HQE rating is ‘Exceptional’, it has a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’, and it has also been awarded the ‘BBC Effinergie-Rénovation’ certification.

I n t r o d u c t i o n

Its HQE rating is ‘Exceptional’, it has a BREEAM rating of ‘Very Good’, and it has also been awarded the ‘BBC Effinergie-R é n o v a t i o n ’ c e r t i f i c a t i o n . Banque de France. Thanks to the reorganisation, the building has gained more than 3,000 m²

S o m e w o r d s

a b o u t t h e p r o j e c t

The project centres on the 9th arrondissement and a building constructed for France’s national railway operator SNCF in 1981. Its appearance was reminiscent of a fortress folded in on itself, with its keep on the corner of a congested crossroads. This dynamic district, marked by Haussmann’s 19th-century urban renewal programme, is always lively both day and night; business, culture and fashion rub shoulders here, creating a quintessentially Parisian everyday lifestyle. To showcase the modernity of this building while retaining a sense of architectural unity that respects the area’s history, it was an easy decision for us to capitalise on this local energy. Reopening the building to the city allows it to be stimulated by the surrounding hustle and bustle, while the various nods to baroque design dotted throughout the project allude to the grand and elegant townhouses of the era. Everything is designed to contribute to the rebirth of the building.

‘Intown is the perfect example of a building that has reinvented itself by creating new spaces that open onto gardens, new perspectives, new encounters.’ Anthony Bechu

3 key ideas that guided

the project

1 / A r e d i s c o v e r e d u r b a n c h a r a c t e r :

A geometric guiding layout strengthens the axes and structures the architectural sequences.

The designs of the facades reinstate their original divisions, evoking the old townhouses.

The keep gives way to an iconic composition marking the corner of the Londres/Budapest junction.

To the south, the ‘small Parisian garden’ expands with the creation of a living facade overlooking the neighbourhood, accompanied by new green terraces..

2 / O p t i m i s i n g t h e v a l u e o f t h e s i t e ’s a s s e t s t h r o u g h c o n t e m p o r a r y a n d s u s t a i n a b l e a r c h i t e c t u r e :

The construction of a central connecting wing created additional office space.

The iconic composition on the corner

3 / F u n c t i o n a l a n d e n v i r o n m e n t a l e f f i c i e n c y

The simple, geometrical layout offers 3,000 m² of modular office space punctuated by landscaped patios and terraces.

The site can be divided into 2 autonomous buildings with their own secure lobby.

The entire envelope is designed to improve the building’s thermal and acoustic performance. Its design incorporates the principles of sustainable development: efficient reuse of the existing structure; bioclimatic facades designed according to their exposure and orientation; garden terraces, including a central terrace that houses south-facing solar panels.

of Londres and Budapest is set with rings of metal filigree and crowned by a glass canopy centred on the square.

The central theme of the interior design project was a desire to bring energy to the spaces through the interplay of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines.The main lobby is therefore designed to resemble a neighbourhood square linking the street and the inner garden. A corridor dominated by large columns connects two contemporary boxes that house the two public reception areas with reception desks and waiting rooms. Poles adorned with decorative mirrors break up these spaces. They reflect the landscape of the inner courtyard and bring the lively atmosphere of the street into the building.A covered passageway links the two lobbies and reveals a dynamic wall bathed in light from the inner garden.Finally, a suspended glass and metal walkway provides a connection between the two office areas.

I n s i d e

82, rue Lecourbe 75015 Paris T. +33 1 47 34 97 91 www.bechuetassocies.com