CREDITS
HDA : ARCHITECT & PROJECT MANAGER
CLIENT : CARLARA
CONTRACTOR : AB CONSTRUCTION
HDA TEAM : Hugh Dutton, Houda Kabbaj (Project Leader).
DATE : 2012-2014
Carlara, a leading Paris Law firm, have expanded their rue Bayard offices to new spaces in former stables at the back of an inner courtyard. HDA were commissioned to design a glazed link connecting the new facilities to the main buiding, in addition to basement conversion work, courtyard improvements and general landscaping.
HDA’s proposal for the courtyard was a composition of curved patterns radiating from main points of entry into the courtyard, creating a dynamic visual that is particularly appreciated when viewed from the office windows.
The glazed corridor, which opens off one of the old stable doors to connect the new spaces with the main building, has been designed with pared-down minimalism. A roof grille of curved tubes, set to the same radial pattern as the courtyard, provides shading and a visual counterpoint to the paving.
Basement areas, used for meetings and staff function rooms, were rejuvenated by the same visual dynamic using timber slats, lighting, mirrors and full- scale photographs of woodland vegetation.
