At the heart of a dynamic neighbourhood in the Porte de Valenciennes joint development zone (ZAC), the Partenord plot seeks to bring Lille into the third industrial revolution through a mixed project, including the headquarters of Partenord Habitat (Nord Department Public Housing Office), offices, housing, and shops.

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The project is situated on a plot in a strategic location at the entrance to the city of Lille, at the corner of Rue de Cambrai and Boulevard de Belfort. The building emerges from the ground along both of these roads in three distinct sections: the offices, the headquarters, and the housing, all tied together with a shared foundation.

More specifically, the project includes:

• 50 rented housing units 
• A collection of rented offices,
• divided into 7 office spaces
• 5 retail units on either side of the headquarters

The Partenord Habitat headquarters 

A car park with 232 underground parking spaces for housing, rented offices, and headquarters. The Partenord headquarters are situated at the corner of the plot, shining like a beacon over the metropolitan area and ensuring its visibility throughout the Lille region.

The project offers a duality between the bold urban façades and the centre of the block, which is sheltered from the city's hustle and bustle and is an ideal place for users to relax. The multiple balanced outdoor spaces offer pleasant settings for users, tenants, employees, and retailers, looking out onto an environment of biodiversity.

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The building is adorned with various sizes and styles of terracotta cladding. A feature is created along Boulevard de Belfort, like an urban window with three sides of reflective glass. This mirror onto the city amplifies the comings and goings of local residents.

More than just architectural touches, the systems put in place offer functional qualities tailored to each project. The simple urban façade establishes structural and functional integrity to meet project requirements in the clearest possible way.

Environmental Process

On an environmental level, Partenord is fully aligned with the requirements of the Third Industrial Revolution and the energy transition through the pragmatic implementation of suitable processes for the project: recovery and storage of grey water and excess energy, use of renewable energies like solar panels, and optimized electricity consumption, notably through the use of digital radiators. Eighty percent of the rental housing’s winter heating requirements will be covered by the headquarters’ surplus heat recovery (known as excess energy).

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In recovering this energy, building interconnectivity and performance objectives in terms of operation and maintenance (inclusion of BIM) are challenges that were tackled to achieve an energy transition model for the future.

The project embodies a way of rethinking our means of development and the type of society in which we want to live to ensure each person’s development and liberation.

I - The Partenord Habitat headquarters

Structure and façades

The general principle of the façade for the project is a cladding system that is unique to each project section: headquarters (and foundation), offices, and housing (except the south façade). This distinction helps to mark out the projects, while maintaining overall cohesion through the use of the same materials, including glazed terracotta and aluminium used in different forms.

The urban window looking out onto Boulevard de Belfort is streamlined with the use of a VEC curtain wall system. It comprises two vertical planes (façades of the cafeteria and north rented offices), and a horizontal plane on the underside of the rented offices.

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From the outside, the headquarters are sleek, with proportional layers. From the inside, the office areas are easy to use due to the orthogonal spaces.

The block offers wide outdoor spaces and terraces on different levels (3rd floor and 6th floor in particular). The proportions and layouts of the gardens and terraces at the centre of the block on the ground floor, 1st floor, and 2nd floor are optimized to encourage occupant use, and to accommodate large trees.

Project and functionality

The ground floor has an in-ground garden at the centre of the block, a bike shed, a print shop, support facilities, and the atrium. The triple-height atrium is positioned at the corner of the crossroads to mark the entrance to the headquarters.

The 1st floor is home to the shared meeting room area. This area can be divided into 6 rooms with mobile partitions. This floor also has a conference room for hosting up to 50 people, and a private dining room linked with a back door. These 3 strong parts of the building share access to a large 175 m², partially covered terrace.

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The headquarters’ cafeteria is located on the 2nd floor, and the atrium sits at the heart of the headquarters due to its community function and functional quality: double-height leading onto a coworking space on the 3rd floor, and a bright dual-aspect area leading onto 2 separate terraces which are bright throughout the day.

On the standard office floors, the project addresses “offices 2030” challenges set by the client: they are mostly shared and feature collaborative spaces.

Ground floor: Trade union offices

• 1st floor: Logistics department
• 2nd floor: Rental management department, marketing department, and social development department
• 3rd floor: IT department
•  4th floor: Legal department
• 5th floor: Accounting department
• 6th floor: Communication department
• 8th floor: Housing technical appraisal department and portfolio department
• 7th and 8th floor: Development department

The headquarters’ backbone is focused around a shared core, including a spiral staircase and lifts. It also contains the ducts for utilities, toilets, plant rooms, and rooms for cleaning supplies.

II. Rented offices

Structure and façades

The rented offices feature two terraces divided between the office spaces (2nd floor, 4th floor). The envelope comprises aluminium sunshades which are directed according to exposure. There is a harmonized rhythm across all façades, with a 90 cm pitch adapted to the framework of the offices.

Project and functionality

The office spaces are functional and clear. Like the headquarters, the shared core for the rented offices has been condensed to contain all utilities (human, networks, fluids), as well as shared facilities (toilets, room for cleaning supplies), thus freeing up as much floor space as possible.

III. Housing

Structure and façades

• The housing building has a simple structure, in line with the rest of the project.
• Planted terraces are located on the 1st, 4th, and 9th floors.
• The 9th floor terrace is dedicated to the building’s shared vegetable garden. The vegetable garden faces the centre of the block, protected from the wind, and can be accessed from the shared areas. There is also a ramp to allow people with reduced mobility to access it as well. A sheltered inner space, separate from the shared corridor, is dedicated to the functioning of the vegetable garden.
• A terrace on the 7th floor is available for  apartment users, in addition to their respective loggias.
• A terrace on the 10th floor has solar panels and an AHU for the housing.
• There are trumeaux on the north, west, and east façades. The south façade, facing the centre of the block, has a special sunshade. 

Functionality

• The 50 apartments are distributed within the building as follows: 15 x 1-bedroom (1BR), 20 x 2-bedroom (2BR), 10 x 3-bedroom (3BR), and 5 x 4-bedroom (4BR) apartments.
• The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd floor of the first level each include 3 x 1BR, 2 x 2BR, and 2 x 3BR.
• The 4th, 5th, and 6th floor of the second level each include 1 x 1BR, 2 x 2BR, 1 x 3BR, and 1 x 4BR.
• The 7th and 8th floor of the final level each include 1 x 1BR, 3 x 2BR, and 1 x 4BR.
• The 9th floor, with the vegetable garden, is divided into 1 x 1BR, 2 x 2BR, and 1 x 3BR.
• In terms of apartment layouts, the balconies running along the south façade feature loggias.

Data Sheet

Client: Partenord Habitat
Architect: Coldefy
Partner architects: TAG Architectes, Paindavoine Parmentier Architectes
Design offices: TPF.I Engineering, VS-A Envelope design and engineering
Landscaper: BASE Paysagistes
Construction company: Nord France Constructions Fayat
Budget: €29 million
Floor area: 14,650 m², of which 9,807 m² offices, 3,970 m² housing, 956 m² shops, 232 parking spaces (30 spaces for the housing, 40 spaces for the offices, 162 spaces for the headquarters)
Location: Lille, France
Delivery: Delivered September 2020 (winner of 2017 competition)
Project: Construction of the new headquarters for Partenord Habitat, shops, offices and 50 rented housing units with a car park.
Environmental process: RT 2012, BEPOS Effinergie 2013, HQE, H&E Cerqual (housing), E2C1 (housing) certifications