Paris Luxury Offices

The building had been used by the client for many decades and with the refurbishment, he sought to bridge the cherished heritage of the building with the modern work culture of an international company. A process that mirrored the changes the company itself was undergoing at the moment.

The office complex belongs to the historical Haussmann buildings in Paris and consists of partly listed buildings and modern additions. The refurbishment focused on creating a healthy, sustainable, and intuitive work environment with maximum flexibility. While revealing the full potential of the existing building which houses over 800 desks across several departments, the new design pioneers in new ways of working and energy efficiency.

The final design was significantly shaped through the guidance of the client’s management team as well as the feedback from their team members to ensure that the transformation stays in line with the values and foundation of the company culture. This open, process-oriented design approach resulted in particular solutions for the project: it was quickly understood, for instance, that the departments felt at times disconnected from each other, separated into spatial hierarchies—a problem actively tackled by the fluidity of the new design. From the layout of the floor plan to the furniture, fluid transitions help foster an inclusive and communicative working environment.

Right from the programming phase, the client established an international team with expertise from GRAFT architects, landscape architects ManMadeLand and lighting designers Kardorff and Art+Com. The project was completed in successive phases while daily business and normal operations continued on site. In the end, the profound transformation of the building created a new physical identification with the company brand through a holistic approach.