In July 2008, LPA put the finishing touches to the thorough refurbishment two semi-detached office buildings offering a total of 4,600 m² of offices and parking for GECINA, the French real estate company and owner of the two buildings.

Each building has kept its own originality through the careful incorporation of joinery, colours and facades, that respect the historical features and design values typical for the end of the 19th century industrial buildings, of which many examples can be found in London, Paris or Milan.

In order to create large floor plans, and to rationalise services such as the emergency exits, the buildings have been linked on the inside.  Special attention was paid to all aspects of sustainability of this project; and this proved to be an extremely challenging task because of the age of the buildings.

Metal window-frames were glazed with high performance glass.  Automatic controlled lighting has been installed not only to maximize the visual comfort but also to avoid any waste of electricity.  Use of the Urban heating and cooling networks further optimise energy consumption and contributes to the reduction of emissions with greenhouse effect.

Although both buildings are managed by the same company, they can be let to multiple tenants. This flexibility in the heart of Paris, just a few steps away from the Paris Stock Exchange, and the provision underground parking within the building are examples of the added-value achieved by this project.