Paris, France
Christian Pottgiesser
Post By:Kitticoon Poopong
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
French Architect
Christian Pottgiesser has designed the headquarters of two French companies in 2005 – 2006.
This 5,800 square foot 19th century building is located in Paris, near the place Stalingrad and it hosts a breathtaking open space office.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
The project accommodates the headquarters of two companies in Paris – PONS and HUOT – with totally fifteen executives. Consequently the unit has seven individual rooms for each director and one open-space-office for the remaining eight clerks. In addition there is one (divisible) meeting-room, a common recreational room, a kitchen,
rest rooms, and, at the special request of the patron, lush vegetation all over the main space.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
The base for the construction was a rotten industrial hall built in the late 19th century with a steel framework typical for the period. It is rumoured that
Gustave Eiffel realized it.
To start with, the hall was completely restored. A new self-cleaning glass roof was fitted. The whole substance of the building was put back into the original state.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
In fact the project consists of an insertion of a wooden unit in solid oak 5 1/2 ft high, 72 ft long and 46 ft wide. The entire programme is embodied therein. Each individual workplace is incised into the wooden upper surface and covered by a “telephone’-dome in Plexiglas.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
The four lateral surfaces contain archives, cloakrooms and the kitchen. Completely embedded in the body are the meeting room, the recreational room and the restrooms. The remaining space is taken up by technical transmission systems (computer, electricity, air condition, heating and water) and also by 646 ft3 of soil, the bed for eight Ficus Panda trees.
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
 |
| Photo © Courtesy of Luc Boegly |
Neither entrance hall nor reception were implemented, since visitors are guided by a peripheral path-system leading to all pertinent rooms. The individual offices are situated on both galleries.
 |
| floor plan--grawing Courtesy of Christian Pottgiesser |
 |
| model 01--grawing Courtesy of Christian Pottgiesser |
 |
| model 02--grawing Courtesy of Christian Pottgiesser |
The people
Interior Designer: Christian Pottgiesser
Location: Paris, France
Client: PONS and HUOT
Photographs: Luc Boegly
