Making people want to go back to the office, feel good there and work efficiently is the challenge that most companies have faced since the health crisis. And some succeed better than others… And when the work of the company in question consists in particular in investment and operational offices, it is necessarily particularly involved. This is how when I lived (ex Foncière des Régions) chose to set up its European headquarters in a new Parisian address, not far from the Saint-Lazare station, it was essential to take care of the well-being of the employees but also to make a business card where customers and prospects find all the concepts developed by the group. In addition, to make the place even more open, the group took the opportunity to set up a Wellio center on site, its brand coworking.
It is in the district of Europe that Covivio imposed itself on a building that previously housed a telephone exchange that the real estate company had acquired as part of the outsourcing of France Télécoms/Orange assets. A choice that has a double interest: “The centrality of the place is more than ever a key element for offices, recalls Christophe Kullmann, general manager of Covivio. And giving new life to this site also demonstrates our commitment to a policy of rebuilding the city within the city. In addition, the purpose of the building has not been completely transformed since Orange retains the premises in part of the ground floor, the simplicity of the miniaturization and the current technologies have allowed to release an additional 4,530 m² in this building, 1120 m² of shared spaces and 1000 m² of outdoor planted areas.
Brick, wood and concrete
Called L’Atelier, this headquarters barely refers to Covivio (a discreet logo on the main entrance) preferring to focus on the idea of ​​a place of creation and manufacturing. At the end of a joint reflection by the teams, the whole process of the building was structured around the concept of “builders”, highlighting three materials: brick, wood and concrete. It was the teams of architects from STUDIOS who worked on the building envelope and the Sarah Lavoine house that manages the interior architecture. “We wanted to recover the codes of the house, while creating a truly hotel place”says Christophe Kullmann.
Particular attention was given to the connection of the two red brick buildings (the main one facing the Rue de Madrid, the second on the Rue d’Edimbourg) which until then were back to back. A breakthrough was made from all the potentials of a technical room that had been demolished and turned into a large glazed conference room, decorated with a monumental external staircase that extends to create a seam between the two buildings. And if the historical facades have been enlarged, the architects have not hesitated to take advantage of the high ceilings of the last floor, covered with concrete since the 70s, to replace this heavy coating with a glazed veil that gives lightness and brightness very pleasant to the room.
53 bicycle spaces
Inside, between the organization of the spaces and the decoration, we are in places that remind us of a house or a hotel. Here, there is no reception room, but rather a lobby with its coffee counter and set of partitions that allow varied uses. Very chic, the luggage/concierge area to leave your things or receive your packages. Without forgetting a wellness area, a room dedicated to team sports and a fitness center. The little queen has not been forgotten with parking provided for 53 bicycles (for 250 Covivio employees without forgetting the users of coworking spaces) and appreciated additions: electrified racks and shower/shower cabins. As for the number 1 request of employees regarding the service in their workplace, it has not been forgotten with a particularly well-kept catering area. We are actually in a restaurant room that can be transformed into a place of informal exchange outside of meals.
And the workspaces in all this? Although the atmosphere, the carpet, the antique objects feel more like a home than an office, everything has been designed to work effectively. Meeting spaces are available in all formats without forgetting conference rooms or project rooms. Special mention for the Council room on the top floor with its huge oval table and its glass partition that extends with views over all of Paris, but which can be completely darkened with a switch. Wow effect even with the half-buried room entirely in orange-brown tones, a space dedicated to projections and the development of projects immersing in a radically different place. The icing on the cake: the roof terrace of the building has been designed as a hanging garden among greenery, thickets of shrubs and visual views of the monuments of Paris.