Concept
The Osmose building is composed of two main volumes joined by a transparent middle section giving views through to the garden at the centre of the site. The double-height entrance hall, located here, is accessible from Rue Lénine, and also via the garden from Rue Alice Milliat.
The architecture of Osmose is functional, contemporary and timeless. Its facades, clad in polished white concrete, are both elegant and restrained, giving an impression of lightness and transparency. This impression is carried to the inside with extensive glazing providing natural lighting and views of the city. Spaces are functional and flexible, offering privacy, but are also open and generous. The working environment is, first and foremost, a living environment and this is enhanced by gardens, planted balconies and terraces. Osmose establishes a visual and functional relationship with its urban surroundings and green spaces.
The architectural vocabulary employs a limited palette of 3 materials including aluminium, large format polished reconstituted marble/concrete panels, and glazing. The glazed walling transparent and enamelled opaque panes.
Program
The ancillary spaces, including the cafeteria and restaurant, are treated in a similar manner, benefiting from atmospheric lighting and flexible, adaptable interior design. The same fluidity and flexibility, and the same graphic template, inform the spatial organisation of Osmose, both within and without. An efficiently-designed, flexible working environment promotes interaction within the team and encourages creativity.
The irregular form of the building’s plan, echoed in its facades, lends itself to the insertion of two gardens, one at the heart of the site, and the other creating a link with Place Cachin, a public square. The graphic lines of the central garden, forming a small microcosm and a focus for the project, are visible from the main entrance, marked by a paved forecourt. The raised beds, contained within low walls, provided a sufficient depth of earth above the floor slab for the planting of tall trees.
Each floor of the building benefits from a balcony or terrace. On the sixth floor two large planted terraces provide a place to relax surrounded by vegetation, and to enjoy the fruit and vegetable garden. Trees and shrubs are chosen from locally occurring species, best adapted to the seasonal cycles.
Team
Client
– Client: Ideve
Project Team
– Architect team representative: Arte Charpentier Architectes
– Landscape Architect: Arte Charpentier Architectes
– Interior Designer: Arte Charpentier Architectes
Project specifics
– Title: Osmose
– Address: 122 avenue Vladimir Ilitch Lénine
– Postcode: 94110
– Town: Arcueil
– Completion: 2019
– Programme: Design and realisation of an office building, including interior and landscape design.
– Services provided: architecture, interior design, landscape design
– Certifications: HQE procedure, BREEAM
– Area: 16 200 m²
Photo credits : DR Arte Charpentier Architectes
