The unusual property houses the new headquarters of the French authority for the collection of social security contributions. Several railway tracks run between the administrative headquarters and a large housing estate. The wave-shaped design of the building envelope serves the purpose of breaking up the sound of the trains passing by at regular intervals and preventing it from being reflected directly back onto the residential buildings opposite. The outer shell thus improves sound insulation, not only in the building itself but also for the neighbouring residential environment.
Sound-insulating surface
Paul Kozlowski
The building, designed by architect Anne Carcelen, rises eight storeys. A VMZinc surface in Pigmento red covers the two long sides of the facade. On each floor, two horizontal rows are alternately inclined slightly downwards and upwards. In this way, direct sound reflection in a straight direction is avoided and the sound is diverted towards the ground or the sky. At the same time, the angled surface acts as a diffuser, dispersing the noise of rail traffic and thus reducing it overall. With this acoustic protective function, the authority location assumes responsibility for the urban environment. In order to maintain the visual unity of the building, the special construction method of the "soundproof surface" is also duplicated on the side facing away from the rails.
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From the top of the roof to the base of the sides of the building, there are around 4,000 m² of zinc, which was mounted on a wooden substructure using standing seam technology. A rounded zinc roof takes on the function of a fifth facade. Also finished in the VMZinc surface Pigmento red, it forms a homogeneous unit together with the side surfaces.
Paul Kozlowski
