Piuarch, S.r.l.

Idf Habitat Headquarters

Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia

IDF HABITAT HEADQUARTERS

Piuarch, Stefano Sbarbati Architecte

MANUFACTURERS
Carl Stahl, Lamp Lighting, Serge Ferrari, RGM

OTHER PARTICIPANTS
Stefano Sbarbati Architecte, Incet Ingénierie

AREA
2700 m²

YEAR
2017

LOCATION
Champigny-Sur-Marne, France

CATEGORY
Office Buildings

Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia

Text description provided by architect.

In March 2017 IDF Habitat proudly announced its new address, 15 km from the heart of Paris.

Designed by Piuarch, Stefano Sbarbati and Incet Ingénierie, the winners of a competition held in 2013, the Champigny-sur-Marne headquarters were inspired by the desire to create an efficient, functional complex, and above all one that stands as an indispensable element in the area’s transformation process.

Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Martin Argyroglo
Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia

The building is in fact part of the so-called “ZAC des Bords de Marne,” an ambitious redevelopment program aimed at defining a new social, cultural and productive sector connected with the city, interpreting expectations and generating a system with a strong identity.

Characterized by an L-shaped plan and a silhouette that varies in height, the volumes develop into an articulated form, establishing crisp lines and allowing the square in front to be designed and defined as a collective space.

Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Martin Argyroglo
Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia

Each side also reacts to the existing surrounds through a relationship of solid and empty spaces: at the entrance, and thus facing the square, the façade is a permeable screen completely covered by glass hidden behind a system of loggias of varying heights, interrupted by a series of breaks in the pattern that make the composition more dynamic.

This front is proposed here as a section through which one glimpses the working environments, including the lobby, small meeting rooms, private offices and the large stairway, or, conversely, as a way to project the life of the building toward the outside.

Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia
Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia

The side of the building opposite the entrance, facing the railroad and along the road, is more compact with a tight rhythm of vertical openings: these are the south, east and west façades, where it is necessary to filter the solar gain and to create an acoustic barrier against the noise of trains passing by.

The shell is made of concrete cast onsite and then smoothed to create a uniform effect.

Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia
Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Martin Argyroglo

It integrates the construction system, which is connected to prefabricated hollow core slabs with a span of 13 meters, without any need for intermediate supports.

The result is a free plan, which can be organized according to needs: a solution made possible not only by the absence of pillars and supporting walls, but also by the systems installations, which run vertically at the crossing point between the two wings before being inserted into the floating floor at each level.

The only “rule” for the flexible layout, which can be changed over time by IDF Habitat, is the continuous juxtaposition of work areas and collective areas.

Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia
Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia

The four floors of offices above the basement – devoted entirely to parking because the structure stands on land at risk of flooding – mix different types of spaces and include large socialization areas both indoors and outdoors, thus ensuring a high quality environment for employees.

This quality is enhanced by the roof terrace, which adds to the defining of a pleasant place with tables, seating, deckchairs and sun shading elements.


Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia
Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Sergio Grazia
Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Martin Argyroglo
Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Martin Argyroglo


Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Martin Argyroglo
Idf Habitat Headquarters
© Martin Argyroglo


Idf Habitat Headquarters
Lobby Plan
Idf Habitat Headquarters
Office Plan


Idf Habitat Headquarters
Roof Plan

Piuarch, S.r.l.
T +39 02 89096130 F +39 02 875506
Piuarch, S.r.l.
Via Palermo, 1, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Studio Stefano Sbarbati
T +33 1 43668 179
Studio Stefano Sbarbati
43 Rue Beaubourg, 75003 Paris, France