manuelle gautrand: origami office building, paris

manuelle gautrand: origami office building

image  © vincent fillonall images courtesy of manuelle gautrand architects

sited in a luxurious parisian neighborhood within the vicinity of the arc de triomphe and within the sightlines of ideal city views,

manuelle gautrand’s ‘origami office building’ strove to create a distinct, elegant mark on the urban fabric that was clearly in dialogue with the warm,

weathered stones of the surrounding architecture. the high-level office program was accommodated into an orthogonal volume clad in a double

layered curtain wall of glazing and faceted, screen-printed marble skin. while the architect had original envisioned a sectioned marble envelope,

the ‘marble origami’ pattern print allowed optimal control of the rich hues and design as well as a more purposeful application of the system as

a shading device. the precise position of the marble veins was achieved through careful layouts in order to create an open-book composition that

hearkened to historical stone work of the surrounding structures. a gradient of the tectonic was established to choreograph light and movement

across the space– the heaviest sports two veins dominated by a pattern of beiges, while two iterations of lighter and less veined prints are relegated

to the extremities of the building. the effect is a light-filled marker on the streetscape that chromatically harmonizes with the next-door

hausmann buildings. 

night views show the complex facade  aglow image  © vincent fillon

the facets are individually complex, but additionally compose light across the facade throughout the day 

image  © vincent fillon

interior courtyards present a contrasting material organization image  © vincent fillon

closer view of the myriad prints across the double curtain wall image  © vincent fillon

the facade strategy was a way of optimizing views of the luxurious parisian neighborhood image  © vincent fillon

several typologies if veining and beige hues were composed for the open-book faceted facade image  © vincent fillon

the marble screen printed cladding serves as an elegant frame and shading device while allowing unobstructed views of the city  image  © vincent fillon

office spaces enjoy ideal parisian views image  © vincent fillon

interiors show a pristine minimalism image  © vincent fillon

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