Clarins headquarters

At the boundary between Paris and Neuilly-sur-Seine, the Clarins head office occupies a strategic location on the corner of the avenue des Ternes and in close proximity to the Porte Maillot and Boulevard Périphérique around Paris.

Designed as an ideal workplace for all the Group’s staff, with the intention of bringing all the teams together and favouring discussion and interaction in a high-quality, sociable and eco-friendly environment, its architecture and technology contribute to the building’s exemplary character in terms of sustainable development. Its huge foyer, wide open to the city across its four-storey height, constitutes a showcase all by itself. A shower of golden screen printed rectangles on the glass form a pattern that grows gradually more dense towards the top, thus contributing to the foyer’s solar protection.

The Group’s identity is also reflected in the choice of colours for the façades: predominantly white, with randomly-scattered vertical red and golden strips. The framework of vertical panels, alternating between opaque white and darker glass, plays off the coloured strips to form a striped pattern that stylishly evokes the pattern of a woven fabric. A place of identification and of appropriation by its users, this building has been designed like a house. As such, it has all the archetypal areas: entrance hall, garden, central staircase, dining room, etc.

The garden at the heart of the block, an important element of the project, has been designed and planted to be seen, used and passed through in every season, and constitutes a vast space for relaxing and socialising. The communal meet-up areas on the ground floor – the café and the business centre – complement this garden. It is characterised by its ecological management as well as by its diversity and its indigenous plant life.
The office spaces constitute the main part of the head office. The ambiance, natural lighting, acoustic correction, thermal insulation, views of the exterior and choice of materials all combine to create spaces that are pleasant to occupy and that take account of the health of the buildings’ occupants. The flexibility of the spaces enables the creation of open-plan, semi-open or compartmentalised offices, according to the requirements of different departments.

The architectural choices and the nature of the technical installations converge to achieve a high level of environmental performance: breathable façades, high-performance glazing, motorised solar protection, effective insulation, the absence of thermal bridges and the presence of solar panels on the roof have all contributed to achieving these results. A natural cooling system, an emblematic example of the thought given to environmental issues, was designed for the foyer. Inspired by nature’s original air-conditioning system, the termite’s nest, a Canadian well located within the infrastructure irrigates a heat exchanger wall that constitutes the foyer’s back wall.