energy renovation Groupama headquarters

Description

Restore life to a dilapidated 70s’ building while anticipating climate change for at least the next thirty years… This was a sizeable challenge for the architects at ATRIA, Annick Worobel and Jean-Pierre Bosquet. The Groupama head office building in Auxerre was a sauna in summer and a proper cold room from the onset of winter, meaning staff had been unable to work in comfort there for years.

• Year of delivery

  2016

• Location

  Auxerre France

• Architect / signatory

  ATRIA Architectes

• Project owner

  Groupama

• Installation company

  SMAC

• Photograph

  Phototandem

• Product name

  Zephir Evolution (Piterak Slim equivalent)

• Product form

  Standard

• Epidermis texture

  Through body colour

• Surface appearance

  Plain natural

• Color

  Champagne, Chocolate Brown

• Work

  Renovation

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© Photos sous copyright soumises à des droits d’auteur

Titre d'article

eco‑friendly and organic projects

Corps d'article

The architects designed this building with a wooden external wall insulation system, covered in champagne-coloured terracotta rainscreen cladding, also insulated. A solution that meets the client’s technical requirements in every respect, generating energy savings of 50%! But also a top quality attractive casing to add value to the whole property. To protect the occupants from heat, automatically controlled chocolate-brown sunscreen baguettes provide the perfect finishing touch to this project. And this type of insulating panel, which is both effective and elegant in equal measure, was also used on two other buildings. In fact, the contracting authorities for the MSA and Yonne Chamber of Agriculture, based in premises adjacent to the Groupama head office, wanted to harmonise the three buildings to create an Agriculture and Services Complex. Over 2,500 m² of terracotta rainscreen cladding was therefore installed, resulting in a restructuring project on a grand scale that has completely reinvented the existing premises, establishing them for the long-term, thanks to a new identity.
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The word of

ATRIA Architectes, Architect

Interview

Jean-Pierre Bosquet from Atria Architectes

“The client was very receptive to the idea of using terracotta as they wanted a high quality, long-lasting product. The fact that clay is a natural substance was also a factor in their choice: the Agriculture Complex is the focal point for many eco‑friendly and organic projects that are being developed, such as click-and-collect systems for buying direct from the producers, etc. At preliminary meetings, we did more than just show the client the product. They were convinced by being able to touch and handle the cladding, observing for themselves that it’s solid, does not crumble and is a real block of raw material. The approach we took was a complete casing made from rainscreen cladding. We broke up the regularity of the lines with angleable horizontal sunscreen baguettes and coloured vertical shade screens. Arranged in an irregular pattern over the façades, they provide additional protection from light coming in from the side at a low-angle and they liven up the façade.”