The historic CAF building, which dates back to the 1980s, is characterised by its painted concrete façade and its complex geometric shape. The architect Bernard Chinours therefore decided to take the opposite approach and designed an extremely simple single-storey building with a flat roof that would not overshadow the surrounding offices. In order to blend the new structure into its surrounding urban landscape, he plays with the different scales of perception: pedestrian, street, neighbourhood, etc. through the playful vertical installation of the Piterak Slim. These terracotta panels lengthen the building upwards, lending it an impression of height, an effect that is reinforced by the monochrome colour scheme.
A layout that firmly roots the building, while allowing it to reach for the sky. According to Michel Poulard, Works Coordinator at Dubois Turban, the company that carried out the installation, “projects of this type allow us to create extraordinary solutions that are very precisely implemented: the layout must be designed well in order to achieve a perfect outcome, because we do not cut the strips; they must predominate from one end of the building to the other. It’s an exciting challenge!” A challenge that was met hands down, from the initial plan to the finishing touches.
UK
