Identity One in Rennes, France by Jean-Paul VIGUIER et Associés

Article source: Jean-Paul VIGUIER et Associés

Initiated in 2008, this city planning project for a new business district aims at reuniting the southside of Rennes with the historical city center. By 2025 the area will total 300 000m² of offices, housing, shops and other services.

As a part of this urban development that includes the transformation of the multimodal hub around the train station, a group of three buildings known as “Identity” emerges on top of the railroad on the Feval block. Jean-Paul Viguier et Associés signs the architecture of one of the buildings, Identity One, and is in charge of the project coordination for the entire area. The architecture firms Architecture Blanchard Marsault Pondevie and Maurer et Gilbert Architectes have respectively designed Identity Two and Three.

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

• Architects: Jean-Paul VIGUIER et Associés
• Project: Identity One
• Location: Rennes, France
  
• Client: OCDL – Giboire
• Engineering Firms: AIA Ingénierie (Structure, electricity, fluids, architectural construction supervision), Acoustibel (Acoustics), AIA Studio Environnement (Environment)
• Construction Firm: Legendre/Angevin
• Partner/Lead Architect: Blin Trincal
• Architect/Project Manager: Charlotte Wrigglesworth
• Team: Natacha Soumagnac, Matthew Kella, Monica Antonie, Sophie de Prinsac
• Computer Generated Images: Benjamin Alcover, Amélie Bellaud
• Project Start: 2014
• Construction Start: March 2017
• Completion: April 2019

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

The Identity cluster is a geode split up into three buildings presenting angular facades and singular designs. As a unifying element, a double skin in anodised aluminum clads the façade and gives a unique identity to each of the buildings.

Identity One’s double skin is one of the key elements of the project. The roughness of the metal exoskeleton creates a contrast with the smooth façade underneath. The blades constituting this metal net are arranged following a double-stripe pattern. The superior stripe is larger than the inferior one so as to protect the offices on the higher floors from the sunrays while still letting in as much natural light as possible. Identity One seems to float over the railroad as a metal volume of which the density of the facets varies.

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Out of its 8 900m², 6000m² of Identity One’s total built area is dedicated to offices split into divisible open spaces (ranging from 236 to 882m²). The upper floors are equiped with outdoor passageways and terraces while the top floor reaches a double height by the mean of a mezzanin. The office spaces have been specifically designed to be wide, luminous and open on the exterior spaces.

The art house cinema l’Arvor, well known and much appreciated amongst the Rennais, is moving from the historical city center to Identity One on a 2 600m² surface scattered on 4 levels. Five theatres will offer a wide selection of movies as well as art exhibitions and cultural debates. The visitors can also enjoy an open terrace on the 2nd floor offering an open view on Rennes. On the ground floor of the building, a restaurant and its terrace connect the building to its exterior surroundings. Indeed a landscaped promenade constitutes a green link between the three buildings.

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER, Photos Takuji Shimmura

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER

Image Courtesy © VIGUIER

Tags: France, Rennes

Categories: Office Building, Offices, Residential, Restaurant

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