Laboratoire LMA, research unit, Marseilles, France
The mechanical and acoustic laboratory at Chateau Gombert is set on the upper level in a square offering an expansive view of the entrance and showcasing the institution. From the square, an earth-coloured wall encircles the plot, allowing the building to adapt to irregularities in the terrain, and providing an open space at garden level where the laboratories are located. The ordered white shapes of the laboratories emerge from the wall of the enclosure, and the shade cover above the offices dominates the whole.The project encompasses three entities:
The first part of the project, the facade on the square, from which the dihedral shape of the boardroom projects, evoking acoustic testing rooms;
The palm grove and the laboratories, with their separate entrances (for reasons of acoustics and vibrations) amalgamated in autonomous blocks alternating with gardens planted with palm trees.
The shade cover is a micro-perforated metal sun screen, and the offices are linked by vertical shafts and staircases with panoramic views over the landscape.
The shade cover – a delicate horizontal veil – gives the institution a resolutely contemporary visual identity and affirms its relationship with the environment: respectful and responsible.
AMO Saint-Gobain 2016 awards.
Team
Director
Project leader
Jean Cataix, Vivien Pillot
Team
Julien Richard, Corinne Thibault
Quantity surveying
Mathias Bacconnier