Perhaps heading to work each morning would be less of a drag if the destination wasn't a soulless office building. The Offices With Terraces project, by Nicolas Laisné Associés (NL*A Paris) features plenty of greenery and natural light, offices that open onto small terraces, and corridors that have been moved to the outer edge of the building.
- Offices With Terraces is part of the Nice Méridia technopole development, a large project set over a minimum of 26 hectares (64 acres), and expected to create 4,000 jobs.
Comprising a total of 6,400 sq m (68,889 sq ft) of office space, plus an additional 600 sq m (6,458 sq ft) of retail space on the ground floor, the project is definitely best suited to its Mediterranean climate, and wouldn't be so appealing in chilly Britain, for example. To navigate throughout the building, workers will be required to use the partly sheltered – but still outside – corridors. The architects report that this layout offers increased space inside.
In addition, some of the offices open onto outdoor terrace areas, allowing meetings to be held outside. The facade is also dotted with greenery, while the rooftop features two garden areas.
"These offices with terraces are perfectly designed for the Mediterranean climate, and suggest a new approach to life in the workplace," says NL*A Paris. "The large, free platforms, staircases and outdoor extensions invite users to make the most of these informal, atypical spaces which open onto a garden."
NL*A Paris is aiming for BREEAM certification (a green building body) for Offices With Terraces, and it will include a rainwater collection system that irrigates the greenery. Furthermore, the greenery planted around the facade should help mitigate the sun's harshness in summer months while also possibly reducing the noise of nearby traffic, too (the front of the building is located close to a road).
The building is expected to be completed sometime in 2017 and has a working budget of €10 million (roughly US$10.6 million).
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