Grande Armée – l1ve
The initial plan here was to demolish the existing building but objections from all the stakeholders – City of Paris, client and architects – saw the redevelopment of Peugeot Citroen’s former headquarters on the Avenue de la Grande Armée transform into a renewal project. Constructed between 1962 and 1964, this former head office building within view of the Arc de Triomphe is one of the defining structures on a wide boulevard. In formal terms, the design, devised by Sainsaulieu architects in the late-modern (or international) style, boasted a very special attraction. A three-storey, 100m-long exhibition space set behind the 110m-long facade that provided a shop window for the automobile giant and made a clear statement: the consumer society was here to stay.
The ambitious renovation aims were threefold: retain the building’s atmosphere in both identity and function, create a public meeting place and modernise the technology and aesthetics of the striking facade structure. Both the company’s objectives and its architectural statement have been adjusted to meet the challenges of the day, and the building now speaks to the interconnectedness of city and nature, from its urban facade to the generous landscaped roof terraces.
Realisation
All of the existing volumes have been retained. The interior courtyards have been reimagined to create public gardens and a large, covered space; the gallery overlooking the Avenue de la Grande Armée has been converted into a transparent, 100m-long lobby; and the plant and machinery that once dominated the roofs have been replaced with landscaped terraces and gardens open to the building’s users. Nature has returned to the areas where workers relax and socialise.
The facade – a marriage of concrete and bronze
The Avenue de la Grande Armée facade has been upgraded to meet current building standards, though the structure remains unchanged. Projecting box windows in bronze improve the thermal and aesthetic characteristics of the existing window openings, with a variety of different frame depths bringing a new rhythm to the streetscape. The elementary tools of architecture create plasticity and a calculated order in a facade that lends a strong identity to the building and to the ”Grande Armée - l1ve“ project as a whole.
Vertical bronze strips also provide new accents in the refurbished interiors and on the facade of the inner courtyard. The white clinker brick of the rear facade makes a connection to the building’s industrial past as well as linking to the rest of the residential Rue Pergolèse.
The interior
Nine floors facing the Avenue de la Grande Armée and five facing Rue Pergolèse are given over to office space. The highly flexible design means that up to three different tenants can be accommodated per floor while at the same time shaping new working environments. The original concrete structure has been revealed and a few selected materials now determine the interior design: several types of concrete, bronze, wood for the floor coverings and different metal ceiling finishes offer diversity in detail. And it is not only the ground floor and basement level 1 that have been reinvented: the roof is now home to landscaped terraces rather than plant and equipment. Taken as a whole, there can be no doubt that the changes made have produced a building that enhances the experience of living in Paris.
Recycling visible
The recycling concept is visible in the detail here. Granite blocks taken straight from the facade of the original building have been worked into the floor of the gallery, its striking concrete columns and high ceilings reminiscent of a church nave. The various access cores have been adapted to meet current needs; the main entrance now features panoramic lifts and an open staircase.
Circular economy
The idea of reorganising what was already there rather than building something new was carried through to construction with the reuse of certain materials. A resource-efficient circular economy became the overarching theme of the project, and though 5,615 tonnes of rubble were still removed from the site, 5,165 tonnes of them – an impressive 92% - were recycled.
