‘Nature et Découvertes’ Headquarters, Versailles: Reference objects

French architect Patrick Bouchain created a ‘maison’ for the new headquarters of French company Nature et Découvertes. Located in the centre of the famous City of Versailles, near the château of the Sun King,

the building is divided into 15 smaller areas. They can be seen through the steep canopies in the form of pointed dormers facing steeply upwards. ‘Every department gets its own building. In addition, the floors are set out in the same way as in a block of flats – with a common area, and offices for when you need a bit of peace and quiet,’ says Lechevalier of the design. The initial idea, he says, was to have a steel roof, but they needed something thinner and lighter. ‘We were looking for a material that was perfect for details, because the canopies function like origami,’ says the architect, explaining how the project came about. Aluminium ticked all the boxes, so the choice was made to use PREFALZ in white. The design was then implemented in close collaboration with the tinsmith. It was a matter of working together to find the best solution for this extraordinary project.

Special building-based solution