On the façade, large vertical windows on one or two levels create a delicate lace effect. The precise, graphic design of these openings has been devised so they look like angled gun slits descending the building, so as to create a sense of movement and break up the uniformity of a traditional office block. The terracotta-clad solids further reinforce the dynamism of the façade through a clever mix of three formats of Piterak Slim rainscreen cladding panels with customised finishes: seven different models come together under one roof, some smooth, others ridged, at varying distances apart, to give a heightened moiré effect.
In order to accentuate the building’s long and slender aspect and add even more lightness, the architects chose to conceal the horizontal joints and make a feature of the vertical joints, so they merge with the ridges. As a bonus, the subtle satin-finish light grey glazing offers an ever-changing spectacle, depending on whether the façade is bathed in sunlight or absorbed by the grey of the sky. An ethereal vibrancy for a flawless composition.
Piterak Slim cladding and its V-clip installation system are perfectly suited to the nature of this project and its technical sophistication. Implementation was made easy through the simplicity of the system and the work done by the Terreal design office: all products were installed here, with no cutting out. “I salute the thinking put into the challenge upfront to achieve this level of both aesthetic and technical quality. We metaphorically “dressed the bride” in haute-couture style for everything to go off without a hitch!” explains Guy Raphat, Operations Director at SOMIROC-RAPHAT.
Villeurbanne , France
Parkview
Permeability Porosity. Openness. The Park View project in Lyons exudes an air of easy dialogue with the iconic Tête d’Or park, like a seeming extension of the latter’s welcoming greenery. That’s a wonderful architectural feat for this eight-storey, 24,000 m2 office building, standing 30 metres high.
There was no question of just constructing something in a long line with a smooth 80-metre façade: instead, the AFAA Architecture practice cleverly cut up the building to inject air. Like a comb, it consists of six vertical sections arranged in a staggered pattern, with patios between each tooth of the comb to give the impression of the park penetrating the building.
-
Year of delivery
2020
-
Location
Villeurbanne France
-
Architect / signatory
AFAA Architecture
-
Project owner
DCB International
-
Installation company
Somiroc - Raphat
-
Photograph
Jonathan Letoubon / Maxime Delvaux
-
Product name
Piterak slim standard & custom grooved 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 grooves
-
Product form
Standard, Grooved, Custom shape
-
Epidermis texture
Through body colour
-
Surface appearance
Glazed
-
Color
Glazed white
-
Work
New
Titre d'article
The airy charm of ridged lace
The word of
AFAA Architecture, Architect
InterviewMarc Favaro, AFAA Architecture
“Terracotta is, above all, a perception: a quality and nobility that you could not achieve with a simple coating. When well interpreted, it ensures a strong identity and real presence for the building it adorns. The human touch is evident in terracotta, in its artisanal dimension, which accentuates its warmth, naturalness and materiality. If offers an almost limitless raft of possibilities. Everything depends on the mood, place and project… A single product can tell a thousand stories, depending on its implementation. Something that is also very interesting to us architects is terracotta's ability to play with scale: details that are imperceptible from a distance appear as you approach the building, thus creating a surprise effect. It is a material of great richness that merits know-how and much thought. Here, we chose to give it some relief with the creation of grooves spaced at varying distances.
To achieve this, Terreal’s design office had to take up a technical challenge: to obtain the deepest ridge possible, without weakening the pieces or increasing their thickness. As a result of this close collaboration, nine cladding panel models were created and used in a graphic and strategic manner: each façade was the subject of a large-scale plan where every piece was positioned so no cut-outs were required. A long time was spent thinking about the task upfront to achieve a rarely equalled fluidity of installation, thanks also to the terrific work done by the Somiroc company. Proof, if any were needed, that treating brick with respect and presenting it in a subtle way allows it to express its full potential.”
-
Year of delivery
2020
-
Location
Villeurbanne France
-
Architect / signatory
AFAA Architecture
-
Project owner
DCB International
-
Installation company
Somiroc - Raphat
-
Photograph
Jonathan Letoubon / Maxime Delvaux
-
Product name
Piterak slim standard & custom grooved 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 grooves
-
Product form
Standard, Grooved, Custom shape
-
Epidermis texture
Through body colour
-
Surface appearance
Glazed
-
Color
Glazed white
-
Work
New