Paris Luxury Offices

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Modern white and bright room with a large staircase wich offers seatings
Modern office with wooden bench seating and glass walls revealing a conference room with chairs and tables
Modern office lounge with a beige armchair and small white side table on a round rug, next to a glass wall enclosing a room with colorful ottomans
a white interior space with cloud-shaped pendant lighting. Windows in the background showing a lush green courtyard
Spacious modern lobby with high ceiling, large windows, white walls, beige floor, a white sofa
Building IdentitiesNew WorkBranding
Project type
New work, refurbishment, office, listed monument
Status
Completed
Competition, 1st prize
Location
Paris, France
Time
2017–2022
Client
Confidential
Partner + Consultants (DESIGN)
ManMadeLand (landscape), Kardorff (lighting), Arup (Well + acoustics)
Partner + Consultants (EXECUTION)
Ertim, Antefixe (local architect), Setec (structure + MEP), Bati Conseil 28 (project management), LeSommer (Breeam), BMF (cost management)
Photos
Schnepp Renou, Georg Schmidthals (Graft)

The overarching goal of the project was to transform an existing office building into a place that fosters creative exchange and efficient collaboration.

The client, who operates in the luxury goods sector, came with a clear vision for the project and a distinct identity based on tradition, history, and French aesthetic, as well as constant improvement, technical innovation, and creative audacity–which would be reflected in the collaboration and the final result.

Modern white interior with a large light ceiling. a piano and arm chairs grouped around the center
a lush green roofterrace with flowers in the foreground, people talking in the background

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 new office spaces facilitate the creative and administrative process and provide great variety and flexibility of collaborative spaces for both formal and informal settings, while also creating quiet areas to focus or relax.

Modern office lounge with a beige armchair and small white side table on a round rug, next to a glass wall enclosing a room with colorful ottomans

The classic design language applied throughout the building aligns the brand’s identity with the highest standards of health and sustainability. Developed alongside experts from ARUP, the refurbishment is BREEAM-certified and meets the WELL Gold standard. The intelligent ceiling construction is a particularly notable feature, unifying formal and functional qualities. It integrates the technical systems across the two existing buildings. Aesthetically, the free-flowing lamellae connect the different spaces seamlessly, from sheltered zones to communal areas. The interior program further includes conference rooms, individual and open-plan offices, break-out zones, a restaurant, a bistro, outdoor and relaxation areas.

View through glass door of a courtyard with wooden benches and green plants

These interior spaces are designed with their relationship to the city around them in mind. The city of Paris, with its monuments and landmarks, its vibrancy and elegance, is intended to be a source of recreation and inspiration for the employees. Together with the landscape architects from ManMadeLand a network of gardens and terraces was created, who complement the working spaces and link interior and exterior. Like little micro-landscapes, each has a unique identity and vegetal character, creating an eclectic sense of abundance.

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.

Modern conference room with a long white marble table, eight beige leather chairs, vertical panel walls
The same conference room with large windows showing outdoor plants
a patio in a Parisian city context showing a refined wooden terrace flooring and a staircase leading upstairs
Project partners
Georg Schmidthals, Wolfram Putz, Thomas Willemeit, Sven Fuchs, Lars Krückeberg
Project lead and deputy
Georg Schmidthals, Caroline Lefèvre, Andreas Blödow, Mathilde Dewavrin, Lidia Beltran Carlos, Marvin Bratke (competition), Christopher Nielsen (competition), Alexandra Uzunoğlu (Graft Brandlab)
Team
Ahmed Dervan, Aleksandra Zajko, Bertrand Malpel, Bojan Zdravkovic, Camila Vieire Préve, Costanza Governale, Djordje Zdravkovic, Dylan Marshallsea, Ines Kostka, Irina Gibert, Jorge Luis Arias Anglarill, Karolina Ligeza, Klemens Sitzmann, Kristin Tessen, Laurent Thill, Leon Jakob Seibert, Mahmoud Elnaggar, Marco Falzoni, Marie Poth, Michael Jay Lemon, Nikolas Krause, Perrine Planche, Raluca Ana Maria Constantin, Sascha Krückeberg, Serena Bartalucci, Sung Woo Park, Théophile de la Presle, Tobias Kuhlmann, Vlad Zangor, Yue Xiao, Zherui Wang