June 2022 - The 157 looks great. This building, located at the same number on the Boulevard Charles de Gaulle in Neuilly, stands on the main road connecting Paris to its business district, La Défense. As part of the major redevelopment of the boulevard, the 157 has recently undergone a thorough renovation which radically transformed it. With its 11,000 square metres of office space, 2,600 square metres of terraces and gardens and its facade in Corian® Exteriors panels made with Corian® Solid Surface colour Glacier White, it fits now perfectly with the dynamic spirit of the district, which is home to many companies.
The facade of the office building in Neuilly (France) was covered with 800 panels of Corian® Solid Surface colour Glacier White; project: Lobjoy & Bouvier & Boisseau; photo Kamel Khalfi, all rights reserved.
Gecina (www.gecina.fr), a property company and major project owner, commissioned the firm Lobjoy & Bouvier & Boisseau (LBBA https://lbba-architecture.com) to translate its vision of tertiary architecture: offices on a human scale, designed as spaces encouraging creativity and good living, respectful of the environment and focused on energy efficiency.
The building is the result of the evolution of three buildings dating from the 1960s onwards. Initially a car workshop, it later became an office building to match the tertiary development of the area. The low height of the floors and the very poor quality of the original concrete structures led the architects to seek simplicity since the first sketches. This choice was confirmed by the decision of leaving the networks apparents on the ceiling to gain in height, and by keeping the rough concrete structure of the original building visible. This original approach gives to the building a unique identity, unusual compared to the traditional office buildings architecture.
With its rounded corners and bright white Corian® facades, the 157 contributes to the renewal of the Avenue Charles de Gaulle through its special architecture. The apparent simplicity of the façade grid, which takes up the existing structure and wraps the entire building, conveys a unitary character as opposed to the housing buildings on the small rue des Graviers. The facade is covered with 800 panels of Corian® Solid Surface colour Glacier White, giving it a continuous and homogeneous appearance. As a discreet reference and homage to the iconic Havas headquarters located just across the street, the design of the joinery uses the Corten steel colour and the U-shaped profiles characteristic of the Brutalist masterpiece created in 1972 by architects Michel Andrault and Pierre Parat.
In line with LBB’s philosophy, the 157 building features many terraces and gardens that can be used for lunch, phone calls or team meetings, reflecting the fundamentals of the art of living at work defined by the agency.
Interior of the building with its original beams. Photo credit: Baptiste Lobjoy.
Ludovic Lobjoy, associate architect and founder of the agency, explains: "We often use Corian® Solid Surface for interior design, but we had never used it for exteriors applications. Crea Diffusion suggested Corian® Solid Surface as a solution for the facade, and we were convinced by its potential. Their highly specialised design office validated the adhesion, resistance and use of Corian® Solid Surface for the 3D rounded facade. Together, we worked hard on the polishing and assembly aspects. We are very pleased with the bright white Glacier White colour of Corian® Solid Surface, which reflects the light and gives the building an elegant and bright appearance. As it resists run-off issues, it will be easy to maintain.”
The facade of the office building in Neuilly (France) was covered with 800 panels of Corian® Solid Surface in the colour Glacier White; project: Lobjoy & Bouvier & Boisseau; photo Kamel Khalfi, all rights reserved.
The project was complex. With the health crisis and the shortage of materials, it was a project of resilience, which required everyone to adapt to all circumstances. However, all parties agree in saluting the collaboration and professionalism of everyone involved.
Thierry Delles, co-founder and CEO of Crea Diffusion says: "This demanding project was a success. The architect came to see our equipment and our work. He saw our capabilities and was convinced by our proposal to use Corian® Solid Surface. The project was a perfect fit with our equipment and our group is well versed in this type of project. Corian® Solid Surface is a unifying and exciting material. It created a common reflection where everyone was able to express their skills. That generated a human connection. This experience was a great encounter.”
The 157 is a collective success, which corresponds to the most contemporary requirements of office property. It has interior gardens and terraces, green spaces that are an integral part of the offices and are designed to be used as work spaces.
LBBA-Architecture (www.lbba-architecture.com) Unconventional and particularly sensitive to climate issues, LBBA cultivates optimism and generosity in a humanist vision of architecture. Founded in 1986 by Ludovic Lobjoy and directed today by Jean-Lou Boisseau with his associates, Céline Bouvier and Sébastien Krafft, LBBA focuses on the evolution of cities, on the changing needs of users and on the environmental responses to be invented. The agency has its offices in a former porcelain factory in Boulogne-Billancourt since 2012 and claims a pragmatic preference to a sensitive approach, to adjustments and correction of the obsolescence of existing buildings rather than recreation from scratch.
The facade of the office building in Neuilly (France) was covered with 800 panels of Corian® Solid Surface in the colour Glacier White; project: Lobjoy & Bouvier & Boisseau; photo Kamel Khalfi, all rights reserved.
Crea Diffusion (www.crea-diffusion.com). The company CREA Diffusion was created in 1988 by Thierry and Laurent Delles. Carpenters by training, they specialised over time in the transformation of Corian®. Crea Diffusion became an approved manufacturer of Corian® and began a close collaboration with recognized designers, introducing Corian® to major design brands. Thierry and Laurent Delles started several programs of research & development on the properties of Corian® and on thermoforming, which allowed them to win important markets in Africa and to register a patent in the United States.
Beauty Meets Versatility with Corian® Exteriors - Corian® Exteriors solutions based on Corian® Solid Surface brings personality to virtually any type of environment, enhancing and facilitating the lives of those who use and enjoy its unique potential. It can be crafted into almost any shape, for any place, for any purpose, and is available in a wide range of colours, offering you the freedom to design, explore, and create. Long-lasting, durable, and elegant, Corian® Exteriors solutions, such as cladding panels, have a three-dimensional formability that has been liberating inventive and artistic minds for over 40 years. To know more about Corian® Exteriors: http://www.exteriors.corian.com
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DuPont manufactures and sells surfacing materials and products that inspires creative design. DuPont is not in the business of architecture, engineering, or performing installations. As such, we do not approve or disapprove any applications' final drawings or installation, nor assume any liability for such. Any and all liability for a final design rests solely with the architect, designer, and/or the building owner.
Media contact:
Claudio Greco, Corian® Design, Public Relations and Marketing Communication Manager (Europe, Middle East and Africa), claudio.greco@dupont.com