The project consists of the construction of an office block as well as a storage unit in Fenouillet (Occitanie Région, France).
Project Name: Solvéo Headquarters
Studio Name: Taillandier Architectes Associés
Location: France
Client: Solvéo Développement
Head of Project: Julie Pires
Assistant: Tina Anzinger
Supervisor: Anthony Tainon
Associated Architect: Laurent Cambedouzou
Surface: 421 m²
Delivery Date: July 2020
The headquarters of the company Solvéo, located on the site of the company Matéos Electricité, is a subsidiary specialised in renewable energies. The project consists of the building of two additional floors and a reorganisation of the ground floor of the existing building so as to create an independent entrance for the subsidiary company. The project also includes the construction of a new storage building and the restructuring of the site entrance and car parks.
The initial office building was designed by Philippe Vigneu in the 90’s for the company Air France. Matéos acquired the building to accommodate their headquarters at which time the building was modified and extended to suit the new activities. For this current reorganisation, the idea was to not create an extension that denotes and breaks completely from the existing building, but rather inserts itself harmoniously into the site by using the material and colours of the existing building cladding.
The floorplan organisation is simple and rational. The existing layout is wider than a standard office block with a total depth of 18m. The surrounding area being very green and tree-lined, of which the upper levels benefit through large sweeping views, the project revolves around a central courtyard onto which the various work spaces open up through complete transparency. This allows the use of the central courtyard not only as a suspended garden but also to open the views towards the lush wider landscape through the wide-spread use of glass partitions and façades.
The volume of the extension project is slightly cantilevered and marks the specific entrance of the company within the general site and building. The main steel beam braces the façade across both floors allowing once again full transparency. The beam is not hidden but instead reveals the structure of the extension. On this west-facing façade, large sun breaking panels span vertically on the full height of both floors, flush with the façade, creating a strong and noticeable visual identity for the newly created entity.
The project is voluntarily neutral and plays rather with transparency so as to magnify the natural beauty of the surroundings. Special attention is paid to the quality of natural lighting through the merging of the indoor and outdoor landscapes through the use of the central patio creating a highquality working environment.
Taillandier Architectes Associés
Founded in 1993 by Pierre-Louis Taillandier, Taillandier Architectes Associés (TAA) is an architecture and urbanism agency based in Toulouse, France. TAA is an open-minded organisation, working side by side with private and public partners.
The people at TAA give their best to develop architectural solutions aimed to enhance the general experience: regardless of the nature of the project, the answer has to improve the quality of life of the end user and the direct environment. To reach this goal, the approach needs to be well designed and well built. Every step must be taken very carefully within a structured and professional organisation.
Much more than a mere architectural momentum, every project designed by Taillandier Architectes Associés solves a series of equations blending program, user and environmental specifics. To achieve a truly obvious architectural and urban solution, Pierre-Louis Taillandier set up a rational and efficient methodology splitting the project into five dimensions: contextual, intellectual, technical, financial and sensitive. Taillandiers Architecte Associés & affiliates gather about ninety co-workers, deployed between Toulouse, Bordeaux, Montpellier and Paris.
