Research Centre, Laon

An architecture of simple volumes blends with open views across farmland. The plan is cut out into strips like the surrounding fields.

The aluminium vents of the technical plenum that tops the building, work as a dynamic signal. The reception area reaches forwards, drawing you inside. The facades are animated with sliding shutters in perforated metal bearing a plant motif, a sensitive dimension to this tightly budgeted project.The new research centre groups its various independent entities by creating synergies between them. They are laid out in individual volumes around an axis that houses shared resources. The building’s open-plan floors give a future flexibility to the spaces.