news
- 03.04.2008
Thales Research and Development Centre
Palaiseau, Francia
exterior of the building
The multinational Thales Group is a global electronics concern serving the aerospace, defence and information technology sectors. It became known by its present name in 2000, following an acquisition. The company is currently state owned in part, and operates in 30 countries. The Group recently built a Research and Development Centre at Palaiseau, of which the design was entrusted to Frédéric Tomat and Alain Dupont, two young members of the SERAU studio of associated architects and engineers.
Their design was based on an attentive analysis looking both at the functional expectations of those who would be users of the projected building and, more especially, at the personality of the client. The Centre would have an overall surface area of 32,000 m2 and include a building to house offices and optical laboratories, also a "reception” block with conference facilities, a building with laboratories, research centres, white rooms and equipment rooms, and a technical platform.
Certain occupants of the centre would šprnd most of their time in laboratories (some necessarily without windows), effectively in isolation, and to facilitate personal contact between these people, the designers decided to create two open-view areas. The reception hall is a glass cube placed at the crossing of two large wings (the office and optical lab block, and the laboratory and white rooms building) and becomes a general meeting place. A recreation room. Somewhere to exchange ideas.
The concrete and glass structure contains a conference room and features a imposing monolithic staircase, suspended in space and affording a window on the world outside. The inner garden is laid out with set pathways and provides a further meeting place. In addition to these areas, onto which all routes through the building converge, there are also “vertical cores” conducive to conviviality, with their glass frontage, open staircase and balcony overlooking the landscape, and areas for relaxation on each landing. As to other components of the design, these serve to fulfil mainly functional requirements. The prefabricated structure consists in a system of prestressed uprights and cross members, with standard infill panels, for comprehensive flexibility of application. The façades in particular are worthy of note: the shimmering surfaces of the parapets, screenpinted glass and blinds reflect the lights of the optical research building, its southernmost wing faced along the two upper floors (the lower level presents a plinth of smooth concrete), with a timber cladding that provides an effective barrier against the sun and is punctuated at intervals by square see-through voids.
main hall
client: Group Thales
architectural design: Studio Serau, Frédéric Tomat and Alain Dupont
lighting fittings used: Greenwich, MaxiWoody
