Located in the outskirts near Paris, the conversion of this 1800m2 former storage facility completes a long term reflection with management and users on the complete redevelopment of the premises allowing the company to welcome its subsidiaries on a site location strategically situated nearby the historic head office.

The transformation of a warehouse in offices immediately raises the question of natural lighting and thermal comfort. We considered the size of the volume (60m x 30m x 4.3m) and the scarcity of façade openings as so many positive constraints to structure the project in two main interventions: creating closed spaces using prefabricated timber and opening two exterior patios.

Favoring a playful and warm atmosphere, offices and meeting rooms are made of structural wooden panels. Prefabrication through digital machining of these elements enabled rapid implementation on site without the need for lifting equipment. Acoustically treated, they structure the space without partitioning it in order to let natural light into the depth of the volume and answer technical constraints: networks, smoke control and free cooling.

Cut from the mass of the volume of the old storage room, the patios provide controlled natural light. Blurring the frontier between outdoor and indoor spaces, they offer a framing of the sky and highlight the depth and intimacy between open office spaces.

Architects: FUSO atelier d’architectures
Architect in Charge: Jerome Balas & Daniel Garcia architectes
Project Team: IPH (structural engineering+ economy), BALAS (installations engineering) , SERIAL (acoustical)
Photographs: Clement Guillaume

http://www.archdaily.com/782782/jm0-open-space-fuso-atelier-darchitectures