The originator of a major innovation in the treatment of hydrocephalus in 1984, Sophysa is now a world leader in neurological valves and intracranial pressure neuromonitoring systems. Present in over 70 countries, it generates almost 90% of its sales from exports.
Sophysa joined the family-owned TKB Group in 1989. It built its first manufacturing unit in Temis in 2007. In order to consolidate and develop its international positions, particularly in Europe and the United States, and to enter new high-potential markets such as India, the company needs not only to expand its production capacity, but also to deploy automation equipment enabling it to optimize its manufacturing processes and remain competitive with low-cost labor countries.
As the first building has become too cramped to accommodate its strong growth, Sophysa has committed to the construction of a second unit in 2021. Designed to become Sophysa's flagship, this 3-storey, 5,800 m2 building, with a 700 m2 clean room, will give the company the means to triple its production capacity in 10 years' time and double its on-site workforce, which could eventually reach up to 400 people.
The design was entrusted to the Metra + Associés agency, which already designed the first building. It follows the same aesthetic codes as the first building, with a dominant use of glass and steel, and louvers that undulate with the light. Large panoramic windows let natural light penetrate to the heart of the building.
The aesthetics of the building reflect the technical sophistication and high precision of Sophysa products. Environmental impact has also been taken into account, with the installation of an air-to-water resersible heat pump system that does away with fossil fuels and achieves near-neutrality in terms of greenhouse gas emissions.
Architecture in motion at the service of life
Sophysa, a company specializing in the design, manufacture and marketing of neurosurgical implants for the treatment of hydrocephalus, has enjoyed rapid growth in France and abroad.
To meet its growing production needs, the first production unit, designed by Brigitte Métra and delivered in 2007, is now being expanded with the addition of a second building.
The project as a whole was born out of the encounter between a natural landscape transformed into a technological and scientific park, and a highly technical production facility. It symbolizes the meeting of nature and high technology.
The buildings blend harmoniously into their environment. They blend naturally into the site, hugging the slope and offering sweeping views across the landscape.
Wrapped in a living skin and structured like a body, they express life, breathing and the vital flows regulated by Sophysa's valves. The architecture envelops, shelters and supports the imaginary lives it helps to heal. It contributes to the identity of the Sophysa brand. In keeping with the approach adopted by Métra et associés, this production unit project, located in a peri-urban industrial zone, pays particular attention to dialogue with the site and the environment, and to architectural, environmental and user quality.
The new production unit
Planned from the outset to support Sophysa's future development, the first building was located on the edge of the site, and has now been replaced by this new building, set up in parallel with the first.
The new 5,800 m² building, with a footprint identical to that of the first, follows the same spatial organization of production, with an additional floor. The two units are linked by a fully glazed passageway at the heart of the new facility between the two cleanrooms, ensuring optimum functionality of the whole.
A parking lot surrounded by vegetation blends into the landscape below.
A third logistics building will complete the complex in the future.
Facades breathe, skin is alive
Symbolizing Sophysa's identity, the facades designed to echo the first building contribute to their dialogue, and respond to their complementary functionalities.
The vibrations of the outer skins express the breathing and life that the medical devices manufactured on site help to preserve. The building expresses the high-tech nature of its activities, echoing the vital flows they control.
The facades, a lively, plastic expression of the production tool, “play” with views and light.
Ribbons of metallic grey steel in aluminium-zinc envelop the buildings, undulating and varying their inclinations according to orientation, sunlight, views and the type of activity being sheltered. Each blade support, fixed every 90 cm horizontally and 25 cm vertically, is tilted to the nearest half-degree to create facade movements that express breathing and life.
Partially perforated, these slats act as sunshades in front of the glazed sections, interacting with the opaque sections of similar cladding.
Like the complex and diverse neurological instruments that form a coherent, high-performance whole, the facades are made from the same material and can be transformed to suit the needs of the different premises they protect.
Generous light and views for the well-being of occupants
The clean rooms, offices, laboratories and workshops are bathed in natural light filtered through sunshade slats, and designed to take full advantage of this light and the views over the landscape. At the entrance, a “Zen garden” creates a gentle transition between the natural outdoors and the rigorous science inside. The reception hall is extended upwards by an atrium that extends over three levels, inviting the eye upwards to the mirrored ceiling with its many reflections. The central space is flanked by two symmetrical staircases linking the different levels of the building.
Flow structures interior spaces
The length of the building follows the logic of Sophysa's industrial “process”.
On the first floor, at ground level and around the reception hall, offices, meeting rooms and staff quarters are located. On the second floor, connecting to the upper ground level where deliveries are made, the production floor is rationally organized according to the flow of materials and people. Like the human body, circulation flows around the clean room, the heart of the system located at the center of the building.
A peripheral circulation allows visitors to enter visually through glass walls. A “forward motion” principle with separate flows structures the organization of all spaces: arrival of raw materials, transformation, production, assembly, quality control, storage and dispatch of finished products. On the top level, a conference center welcomes visitors from all over the world (surgeons, hospital directors, researchers, etc.). With its panoramic view over the landscape, it also serves as a training center.
Open-plan workspaces are spread across the rest of the plateau.
An outdoor area has been laid out to offer staff outdoor breaks.
Interior design and atmosphere
The interiors are designed with the scientific aesthetics of the laboratories in mind. Smooth, bright, contemporary materials and masterful detailing leave nothing to chance, symbolizing the high precision of the instruments manufactured on site. Interior-exterior porosity, natural light, light colors and sober, noble materials contribute to creating an atmosphere where calm and serenity accompany high-precision work and contribute to the well-being of staff and visitors alike.
Team:
Project Owner: Sophysa
Project Design And Management: Métra+associés Brigitte Métra Architect
Project Architects:
Studies: Carla Zacchedu
Construction: Alessandro Banchi
Architects: Mernoush Nahraghi, Paul Archambault, Natalie Lecot
Design Offices/consultants: S2t - Structure And Fluids / Altia - Acoustic / Sletec Ingénierie - Economist / Blondeau - Vrd
Landscapers: Territoires
Firms:
De Giorgi : Structural Work / Ravoyard : Steel Structure / Obliger : Facades Exterior Joinery - Locksmithing/ Smac : Cladding - Roofing - Waterproofing / Axima, Engie : Ventilation - Air Conditioning - Plumbing / Itesia : Electricity / Bonnefoy : Vrd / Plafond Lafond - Clestra - Selli - Algaflex - Revetec: Second Work
Photos: Epaillard Machado, Metra Et Associés
