O'rigin, re-establish an urban coherence on a human scale

The urban planning of the city of Nancy was marked by the massive construction of the Grands Ensembles during the post-war years. A physical, conceptual and social break is emerging between the historic center in the North and the railroad in the South. It is in this complex urban context that the project strives to re-establish an urban coherence and a continuity of landmarks, on a human scale, between the historic city and the Gare district.
The district of "Nancy Grand Coeur" was born around a strong idea of contemporary and sustainable eco-mobility dictated by the presence of the TGV station and a well-structured intermodal exchange system: buses, trams, taxis, private cars, two wheels intertwine on the site of the new district according to a principle aiming at giving back a major place to the pedestrians in the city.
Located at the foot of the TGV station, the O'rigin project is one of the first buildings of the future eco-neighborhood "Nancy Grand Coeur" and aims to create a new neighborhood resolutely turned towards the future, its situation by making an extension natural downtown Nancy and its historic and shopping heart.
The building is well integrated into the urban environment, both for its sober and balanced design and for the judicious choice of materials, composition elements and architectural details.

The inspiring concept of this building is that of returning to an original architecture, specific to the Architettura della Città of Nancy: a stone monolith, animated by the regular rhythm of solids and voids. The timeless composition and minimalism of the façades are inspired by the urban scenography of the ideal cities of De Chirico. In its vocation to rebuild a new urbanity, the O'rigin building weaves a link between the past and the future. Its limestone envelope, with light beige tones, ensures continuity with the mineral and homogeneous quality of the built fabric of the historic city.
The office program is structured around four distinct volumes to best adapt to the trapezoidal shape of the block, thus respecting the rigorous orthogonality principle of implantation in the site. Large vertical glazed faults articulate these volumes, suggesting the spaces of transition and access of offices to different floors. The regular pattern between full and empty offers a harmonious rhythm to the facades. The vertical effect of the different volumes is accentuated by these transitions between the vertical stone planes and the glass faults of any height.
The minimalist approach, the rational geometry of the openings in the walls and the volumetric distribution of the program, aims to imbue this building with an iconic quality.

From the beginning of the studies, the stone was imposed to answer the requirement of architectural quality and the architectural speech. The architects wanted to use façade materials that were both noble and durable.
The ANSTRUDE stone offers a softened finish and a natural variation of light beige tones. The stone of ANSTRUDE is an oolithic limestone, Middle Jurassic, Bathonian floor, of slightly broken off white background color, fine grain. It is extracted in the town of Bierry-les-Belles-Fontaines (Yonne) 40 km from Chablis in the Gard.

The punctuated and measured inserts made of aluminum sheet and glass echo the Art Nouveau trend and the effervescence of the architecture of the 60s and 70s (visionary architecture in metal and glass by the architect and designer Jean Prouvé).
Since its "O'rigin", special attention has been paid to sustainable development and energy saving. The building is labeled in 2009 "Eco Quartier" exemplary by the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing and certified HQE and BREEAM "Very Good" level. The materials used benefit from environmental labels such as NF Environnement and European Ecolabel, attesting to their low impact on health and the environment.

They are therefore natural and easily recyclable materials that have been favored:
- The paints used for the coating of parts comply with the European directive 2004/42 / CE of April 21, 2004, setting the VOC concentration limits of these substances, and the 2010 requirements.
- Varnishes, stains or glues were chosen for their low emissivity of volatile organic compounds dangerous to health.
- The glass elements of the facades are low emissivity favoring an adequate temperature in the building, which also contributes to reducing energy consumption.
- Local suppliers have been selected for heavy materials.
- The use of durable materials, which are easy to clean and repair, has been favored for both exterior and exterior cladding.
- The outdoor spaces have been designed with local plants, durable, without special maintenance. Green roofs will require up to 3 annual interviews.