New AGUR headquarters in Anglet

France

The new headquarter building of AGUR, a water distribution company, is located in the ZAC Melville Lynch area of Anglet, France.  The setting is exceptional: a wild forest extends over a large hill, at the foot of which is a stream that adds to beauty of the landscape.

Preserving this natural environment is our main concern; the skin of the building is designed so that nature slips into the interior to be contemplated by the user.  The furniture merges with the large windows and the forest becomes omnipresent through the wood of the roof in continuity with the eaves. This strategy makes the window disappear into the landscape.  The façade is wrapped with a second permeable skin of vertical slats, simulating the tones of the bark of the trees, to mitigate solar incidence and reduce energy consumption.

The work areas are organized around a central core, clad in wooden shingles, like a large tree, which houses the vertical circulation areas and services, in order to preserve the panoramic views of nature.

The 2,400 m² building is organized into three volumes and four levels: a transparent plinth, a three-storey building for the workspaces and an accessible terrace. At the center of the building is a central volume which houses and conceals the machine rooms, the staircase, the lift and the toilets.

The new headquarter building is energy efficient, using passive strategies while being environmentally friendly.  Water, the source of Agur’s activity, is reused by collecting rainwater to supply the toilets, the indoor fountain and the irrigation system.

Water, nature and light in perfect symbiosis for the well-being of users.

Architecture : Corporate : Design