Firm： H2O Architectes

Type： Commercial › Office Educational › Other Industrial › Factory Research Facility

YEAR： 2013

SIZE： 1000 sqft - 3000 sqft

The EPF Normandie and the commune of Pont-Audemer wanted to convert the industrial site of an ancient paper factory into offices and workshops for different companies. The factory is a symbol of an important part of the local working class memory and the architectural conversion suggested by the agency accordingly followed three principle axes of development.

Firstly, the agency was careful to preserve the volume of the factory almost completely. The serial aspect of the construction is emphasized by the creation of a few new spaces which visually cut into the mass of the building and correspond to new entrances and uses.

Secondly, the project focused on the central common space that links the different workshops, offices and meeting rooms. It was conceived of as a space capable of facilitating exchanges between the different young emerging companies. The generous circulation space includes a “street” (the central corridor) and a “square” (where the building’s central staircase is located). These functional spaces become lively meeting places beyond the strict professional context. An expanse of skylights recalls the function of passageways in the 19th-century town or covered public spaces.

This project was approached from an environmental standpoint, with the result being a high energy performing building that marks a positive progression with the factory’s heavy industrial past.

Lead Architect: h2o Architectes

Quantity Surveyor: M. Virtz

Mechanical and Sustainability Engineer: Louis Choulet

Structure Engineers: BMI

Exterior infrastructure Engineers: France Aires

Prize for Sustainable Renovation Adème et Région Haute-Normandie

Shorlisted for Haute-Normandie 2014 Award for Architecture and Urbanism