The delicate refurbishment of a 1920’s showcase building with a theatrical glass facade.

Within the “Golden Triangle” of the 8th arrondissement of Paris, the complex at 32-34 Rue Marbeuf is located in the heart of the Champs-Élysées district. In 1929, Albert Laprade designed an exceptional showcase building for Citroën at this address; a garage that became both a destination and an attraction, thanks to its theatrical glass facade, created with the help of Jean Prouvé.

The project involves refurbishing two existing buildings and creating a six-story timber extension in one of the two interior courtyards, adjacent to the Marignan building. Both buildings rest on two underground levels. The Marbeuf building has a steel structure with nine floors above ground, while the Marignan building is a reinforced concrete structure with six floors above ground.

The new extension will feature a timber post-and-beam frame with cross-laminated timber (CLT) floors, built on the existing reinforced concrete structure of the Marignan building. The project includes the development of a retail space on the ground floor, commercial office floors (with 1,355sqm of newly created space), as well as landscaped terraces that will be partially accessible.

The restructured street-facing facade of the Marbeuf building reveals an atrium adorned with a monumental staircase above a new 17m-span floor. The facade columns support a rooftop terrace with an elliptical faceted skylight that overlooks the atrium.

The project also includes creating and reinforcing landscaped terraces, extending the interior balconies of the Marbeuf building, demolishing two load-bearing piers between the second and sixth floors of the Marignan building, and strengthening reinforced concrete beams with carbon fibre plates.

Location
Paris, France

Client
Gecina

Architect
PCA Stream

Renders
PCA Stream

Photography
PETIT – VINCI | Photographies Aline