Magasins Des Archives Departamentales Du Nord / zigzag architecture + J de Alzua

Architects: zigzag architecture, J de Alzua
Location: Lille, France
Area: 13000.0 sqm
Year: 2013
Photographs: Julien Lanoo

Company: NORPAC
Client: CG NORD

From the architect. Conservation & Expresion

Beyond the inspiring and forward-looking idea of the concept for a positive energy building (a teamwork since the beginning of the project was completely necessary), it was necessary to suggest a building with a good distribution, a perfect functionality and an efficient conservation. The books and documents preserved in the departmental file are valuables public goods.

The architecture answer  was born from four essential points who explain the project:

- A signal in the city :  the warehouse form a seven floor homogeneous building. The main building is saw from the Metz boulevard  and  from the St Bernard Street. It’s covered with a stainless steel net. The pixellation from a papyrus morphogenesis gave the shape to the net.

-A good relationship to the place : the reorganization of the site plan allow us to link the different buildings to the main path that becomes a place for meeting, exchanging and servicing.

-An easy working : two volumes organize the program in a practical way. The workspaces and the patios take place inside the low volume. The files are placed in the high volume.

- An ultra high performance building, a positive-energy building : the main demand was to build a low-energy  consumer building. A drying system, first  in France,  and a cogeneration heating system, low energy  consumption, are setting up. 300 m2  of photovoltaic panels are placed on the roof.