Overview
A specific “architects - client” relationship
In 2016, the Mayor of Tourcoing and Nord-France Invest supported Booking.com’s desire - already established in Tourcoing - to move to new premises in the region. Booking.com wanted to find a place accessible by public transport, around 7,000 m², equipped with completely open office floors - without any partitioning or posts - offering compact working spaces, large relaxation and meeting spaces. The building had to be BREEAM-certified, secure, accessible and functional. So, client SemVR’s challenge was to provide an efficient and flexible location corresponding to new ways of working within a short period of time.
It joined forces with Foncière de l’Erable, an investor, and Eiffage Construction to confirm that the project was feasible in terms of budget and time frames. A location was found in the city. Architecture firm Coldefy, which was consulted, accepted the challenge. Today, the building meets all expectations perfectly. The short lead time, the large number of stakeholders, and the creation of a contemporary building in the architectural conservation area near the station, all required the team to demonstrate responsiveness, persuasion and great cohesion to complete the project. Coldefy helped the client to achieve its objectives.
Site constraints
The building is located in a quiet neighbourhood, on a triangular plot and in an architectural conservation area overseen by Architectes des Bâtiments de France (ABF). The plot, which is narrow, was used in its entirety to accommodate the requested office space. These constraints had to be leveraged. A zero-energy building was imagined, it was raised, it had to comply with the constraints of the local urbanisation plan. The architectural style and the materials were approved by the ABF.
A place that reflects the ways of working and the dynamic spirit of Booking.com
The open office spaces wrap around a courtyard and form a continuous ribbon from the main lobby to the last level of the triangular building. The corridors located next to the facades follow the continuous glazed ribbon, which in turn helps to open the building up the town and share its life.
The building’s facades are very simple; made from smooth grey high-performance concrete, with vertical and horizontal joints marking out the different sections. These joints help you to understand the building. A glazed ribbon of anodised aluminium curtain walls flush with the façade stand out from the other anodised aluminium openings, which are set back from the facade.
Active stairways, which provide physical and visual continuity from one level to another, create pleasant spaces conducive to informal meetings and relaxation. This concept aims to foster an overall sense of belonging and to erase the hierarchy. As such, it embodies the non-hierarchical, flexible ways of working as well as the values of travelling and the dynamic spirit of Booking.com.
To fulfil the investor’s requests, the building was designed to be sustainable, flexible and efficient. It is framed to make it possible to partition the floors: each level can be divided into three to six units.
In order to meet the short construction times, Coldefy proposed efficient construction methods: prefabricated concrete and standardised windows. The concrete and glass triangle is supported by its facades and offers open, column-free spaces. The addition of storefronts on the ground floor, between the metro station and the train station, improves the integration of the building into the topography of the surrounding streets... It creates a friendly living space and an urban statement. The building was conceived as a catalyst: shops and a crèche were designed on the ground floor to bring life to the neighbourhood, previously an area people would simply pass through near the station that had no shops.
