New headquarters of Groupe ADEO: a unique environmental approach and a very contemporary aesthetic thanks to ETERNIT Natura® facades

By Batipole Edition Published on Wednesday, July 11, 2012 at 02:00 AM

Photo credits : ETERNITY

The ADEO group called on the "blaq ARCHITECTURES" studio to renovate the former CAMIF premises in Rochin, in order to establish their head office there. This was a technical challenge to overcome, since the aim was to renovate the old buildings using BBC renovation and to add two new ones.
A technical feat in terms of environmental protection, made possible by ETERNIT's NATURA fiber cement panels, whose performance is based in particular on a thickness of 23 cm, a national record. Their quality and performance provide excellent thermal insulation. They are also available in a wide range of colors and offer a very attractive price/quality ratio.
This project is unique in Europe in terms of sustainable development, taking into account various issues, such as preserving the original building's condition as much as possible in order to limit massive waste disposal and the transport of new materials.
The building ultimately consumes very little energy thanks to ETERNIT panels, sunshades, insulation, etc.
Today, the premises are equipped with all modern comforts and have been designed for the well-being of the 1200 employees: offices, meeting rooms, collection rooms, cafeteria, restaurant and kitchen, patios, gardens, etc.

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GROUPE ADEO has chosen the former CAMIF building located in Ronchin (59), south of the Lille metropolitan area, to establish its headquarters, named "Campus de l'habitat". The ambitious project, both in its size and its technical complexity, was entrusted to the blaq ARCHITECTURES studio.

The old premises were completely renovated into BBC renovation buildings and two new Passive buildings (PassivHaus certification) were built adjacent to the existing volume, one to the south, the other to the north.

> A colossal and ambitious project

The renovation and construction work on the GROUPE ADEO housing campus began in December 2009 and was completed in October 2011. ADEO's 680 employees took possession of the premises in January 2012, as initially planned.

Designed by blaq ARCHITECTURES, the GROUPE ADEO housing campus includes 263 offices, a hub with meeting rooms (29 retreat rooms and 14 collaborative work rooms), a multipurpose room, a collection room for buyers from around the world, a cafeteria, a restaurant and a kitchen, patio areas, water garden areas, 3 interior gardens, etc.

The blaq ARCHITECTURES workshop project was selected by GROUPE ADEO for several reasons:

he respected the recommendations of a white paper, produced in advance with the group's employees and in which their ideal workplace was described

he planned to preserve as much of what already existed as possible and promised extensions that would be added to it in a simple and harmonious manner

but above all because it proposed the most advanced environmental approach.

Ultimately, when the entire plot has been developed, the housing campus will be able to accommodate up to 1200 employees.

For the Lille workshop, this colossal project was an opportunity to collaborate with a prestigious sponsor, but also a unique environmental initiative in Europe.

> A European first in environmental terms

The project was designed with a strong environmental focus and is based on the principles of sustainable development:

He favors the restructuring of the site over its demolition.

He relies as much as possible on existing materials to work locally and reuses original materials such as the bricks that made up the facade. This avoids having to transport them by truck.

It aims for very low energy consumption. Compared to current standards, this should be divided by 6 for existing buildings (18 m²) and by 500 for new buildings (12 m²).

The south façade is composed of a random combination of 750 m² of photovoltaic panels and sunshades forming a gigantic barcode. It is fully regulated by GTB (Building Management System) which manages the photovoltaic electricity production ensuring total energy autonomy, all the automation systems linked to the building and the air intake shutters of the night over-ventilation allowing the heat accumulated during the day to be released through 13 thermal chimneys.

Multiple interior gardens contribute to the principle of over-ventilation

The volumes are fully insulated from the outside with significant thicknesses of insulation on the walls, roofs up to 44 cm of EPS and floors: 17 cm on the existing and 22 cm on the extensions. The brick cladding has given way to Natura® D'ETERNIT cladding, which is lighter and allows ventilation of the facade.

This environmental architecture and the resources employed allow GROUPE ADEO's housing campus to achieve a total of 6 "high-performance" and 4 "high-performance" targets out of the 14 targets of the HQE® approach. It is the first building of this size in Europe to be certified BBC and Passif.

The major difficulty encountered by blaq ARCHITECTURES was, in order not to waste time, not to create any ATEX (files for experimental techniques) and to only have HQE techniques already validated.

> ETERNIT's Natura panels, an ecological and aesthetic solution for ADEO's headquarters

The building's brick cladding gave way to 25m000 of ETERNIT's Natura® fiber cement panels. These panels, available in different sizes and colors (2), allow, thanks to their rigidity, an overhang of more than 3cm, the distance necessary for the amount of insulation that the blaq workshop wanted to install but that only ETERNIT was able to offer (today, the average in France is 23-10 cm).

The blaq ARCHITECTURES studio wanted the panels to appear from a distance as a huge "flash code," a nod to the Group's business activity. They therefore pixelated the building with Natura® panels in shades of gray.

"In addition to being chosen for its technical capabilities, the choice of ETERNIT panels was made based on its attractive cost, its wide range of colors and because they allow for the construction of very environmentally friendly buildings," says Xavier BOUFFART, associate architect at blaq ARCHITECTURES.

Natura ® 's primary environmental quality : its fiber-cement composition.

Waterproof and therefore rot-proof, fiber cement is nevertheless permeable to water vapor. By absorbing up to 25% of its weight in water, it allows walls to breathe and prevents condensation problems.

Frost-resistant, fiber cement retains all its qualities in our climates and its reliability makes it a durable material – average lifespan of 50 years – requiring virtually no maintenance.

Fiber cement also has acoustic and thermal qualities. Thanks to its density, it effectively absorbs sound and has a low reverberation level. It also offers low thermal conductivity.

The ventilated facade, a fully adapted response to RT2012

The Natura® panels were installed using the ventilated façade technique. A layer of thermal insulation placed on the load-bearing structure is covered with Natura® façade panels so that an upward airflow generates a “chimney effect” and thus removes moisture.

This efficient natural ventilation provides excellent insulation by eliminating thermal bridges, which generates energy savings.
Eliminating condensation cleans walls and provides a healthier indoor environment as well as increased acoustic comfort. In addition, exterior insulation protects walls from the elements and the risk of cracking.

Installation is simplified by the assembly of the elements on site and mechanical hanging and fixing devices (no glue). Maintenance is also made easier since it is possible to work on each panel.

A minerality that blends into any setting

With a unique mineral and natural aesthetic, ETERNIT's Natura® facade panels come in 35 colors and blend perfectly with other contemporary materials: concrete, glass, steel, wood, etc.

This wide range of colors with rich harmonies and bold contrasts allows the architect to give free rein to his creativity while respecting the energy savings required by RT2012. This aesthetic and competitive solution is suitable for both new construction and renovation.

Available in 2 formats: 2500 x 1250 mm or 3100 x 1250 mm (12 mm thickness), Natura® facade panels can be easily cut to size to fit into any project.

The Natura Pro® finish, with its anti-graffiti treatment, offers unique resistance to impacts, scratches and, of course, graffiti, which allows for a wide range of applications.

In total, 4/5 of all the facades were clad in Natura® (the remaining fifth was clad in wood). The blaq ARCHITECTURES workshop has already worked with ETERNIT products to clad the facades of another head office and for housing… it plans to use them again for other future projects: offices, schools, housing.