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Architects: Art&Build Architecs
- Area: 22000 m²
- Year: 2007
Text description provided by the architects. In this case the clear identification of the occupant enabled the architects to draw on the image and prestige of the institution, at the same time providing optimal, day-to-day functionality. Six building sections were erected under the large iconic roofline, with the atria and gardens between them. Designed to be a living and communication space as well as a place of work, the structure includes offices, conference rooms, cafeteria, bar, print room, archive space and a crèche. The objectives of high environmental quality, energy efficiency, natural ventilation and so forth are tied to the overall image of the building, designed to strengthen the sense of belonging to the Council of Europe among its users.
Technical choices consider primarily the occupant’s comfort and smart individual control of space. The building features a mixed ventilation system (natural ventilation + double-flux ventilation). The big textile chimneys play their role in the natural ventilation of the atria. The Strasbourg climate being ultra-continental, it is getting warm and humid very quickly.
The air entering through the bottom of the glassed façades is fresher because it comes from the canal.
The chimneys evacuating the hot air in the building’s upper portion are naturally moving the air in the atria for a better comfort of the occupants. Apart from the social aspects linked to the atria, they are also acting as a buffer zone between the exterior and the office areas.
