Spacious Offices and a Rooftop in Contact with Nature to Foster Work and Leisure

Designed by Atelier du Pont in Paris’s 20^th arrondissement, RATP Habitat’s new headquarters is a meeting point for people and ideas, blending not just a working environment with domestic warmth but architecture with nature. The design is an expression of dialogue between the client and the architecture and interior design studio founded in the late 1990s by Anne-Cèline Comar and Philippe Croisier. Located in a densely built-up neighborhood on Rue de Bagnolet, the glulam-structured new building’s private entrance is set in the portico of a residential complex, above a pre-existing underground parking lot. Overall, the complex offers 2,872 sq. m of floor space.

Forming an indissoluble link between inside and out, two patios and an atrium channel outside light into every corner, acting as hubs for the social housing group’s new offices. All rooms on the ground and upper two floors are arranged around these features. Lending the complex its stepped profile, the building’s lines are partially defined by large, south-facing terraces on the first, second and third levels, leading up to a user-accessible roof.

In their approach to designing the interior and furnishings, Atelier du Pont set out to create accommodating spaces for people to enjoy alone or in groups, benefiting from an unimpeded supply of air and natural light: terraces, greenhouses and stairways open to the sky, also made of timber to make them even more welcoming, are the highest expression of this approach.

Beyond the welcoming lobby equipped with tables for snacks or lunches and/or informal meetings, the ground floor is an alternating succession of one-off workspaces and meeting rooms, rendered flexible by modifiable furnishings and dividers. The floor features two patios and an agora, at the center of which is Atelier YokYok’s Bois Debout installation, an almost 14 m-high stylized wooden sculpture that recalls the shapes of trees, with seating solutions at its base.

The first and second floors are open spaces where workstations may be configured as required, using the movable walls to convert them into collaborative spaces or meeting rooms. The furnished, external terracing on these levels is equipped with roofed-in greenhouses and stools for brainstorming or quiet moments alone.

Wood predominates among the interior furnishings in natural finishes and delicate colors, creating a cozy, comfortable,
home-like environment. Connecting to the lower levels via an external stairway, the third, uppermost level is divided into an outdoor and indoor garden; it also houses technical rooms roofed with photovoltaic panels. As well as offering views over central Paris, all three rooftops act as an invitation to relax, take a break or be active, doing yoga or playing table tennis, pastimes that improve the quality of work life.

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Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Takuji Shimmura courtesy Atelier du Pont

The project succeeds in creating unexpected locations for sociality and encounters with nature in a building erected in Paris’s 20th arrondissement, a densely built-up neighborhood.

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Takuji Shimmura courtesy Atelier du Pont

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Takuji Shimmura courtesy Atelier du Pont

Thanks to skylights, wooden stairs open to the sky act as an invitation to social interaction and dialogue.

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Takuji Shimmura courtesy Atelier du Pont

A pathway across south-facing terraces, connected via external stairways, leads to a rooftop area with additional work space and open-air places to take a break.

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Takuji Shimmura courtesy Atelier du Pont

The interior spaces are organized around two patios, designed and built with large windows to evenly distribute natural light throughout the offices.

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Vincent Leroux courtesy Atelier du Pont

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Vincent Leroux courtesy Atelier du Pont

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Vincent Leroux courtesy Atelier du Pont

Arredi e partizioni flessibili permettono di modificare l’assetto degli spazi in base alle esigenze, per trasformarli in aree di lavoro o zone dedicate alla pausa pranzo.

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Vincent Leroux courtesy Atelier du Pont

The visitor reception area was also designed as a space for relaxation and informal meetings.

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Vincent Leroux courtesy Atelier du Pont

The ground floor features a cafeteria and a kitchen, available for use during breaks, and also designed for informal meetings and roundtables.

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Vincent Leroux courtesy Atelier du Pont

Bienvenüe, RATP Habitat Headquarters - © Vincent Leroux courtesy Atelier du Pont

At the center of the agora stands an almost 14 m-high wooden sculpture, Atelier YokYok’s Bois Debout installation. While its stylized lines recall the shape of trees, it features a modular seating system at its base.

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