Place de la Madeleine - protection and ecology | Baumschlager Eberle Architekten

Our team in Paris demonstrated its expertise in sustainability on a particularly complex project. The task was to combine the listed building ‘Le Palacio’ with the requirements of the present and the necessities of ecology. The office building by Maurice Hennequet (1887-1949) on Place Madeleine is a jewel of the late 1930s, with elements of Style Paquebot or Streamline Modernism, as this movement is known in France and America.

The BREEAM ‘very good’ certificate attests to the quality of the ecological interventions. External insulation was of course out of the question for the climate fitness of the house, so the insulation with glass wool was moved inside without reducing the original room height. The ventilation systems were relocated below the window parapet on each floor to prevent centralised ventilation on the roof from disrupting the appearance. The light colour scheme was restored, as were the glazed window frames, which were modelled on the original ones.

As work on the project progressed, it became apparent that Hennequet's design was conceived as an open-plan system. The office spaces are neutral in terms of use and very suitable for changes in utilisation. Space for a new lift was also gained, as was the existing passageway, which removes the strict separation of courtyard and street space. This urban planning aspect and the neutrality of use are components of the common ground between Hennequet and Baumschlager Eberle Architekten over eight decades.