THERMAL BREAKS
SCHÖCK BUILDING PHYSICS EXPERTISE FOR ICONIC FRENCH BIOTOPE The Biotope building, located in the middle of the important European business district of Euralille, in the French city of Lille, is an iconic 30,000m² seven-storey architectural complex that transforms conventional office accommodation into a selfsustaining ecological community. It is an ultra-energy-efficient building, and minimising thermal bridging throughout was critical. The architects turned to building physics specialist Schöck for its expertise in this area. SCHÖCK
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esigned by Henning Larsen Architects (Copenhagen) and Keurk Architecture (Lille), the Biotope was originally planned to accommodate the European Medicines Agency (EMA). However, due to a change of circumstance, the building now houses ‘The European Metropolis of Lille’, an intercommunal public authority responsible for transport and infrastructure across 85 cities in the north of France. The building is conceived as a ripple made of glass, light and natural vegetation. These three core elements form the building blocks of the design – with everything geared towards the wellbeing of the staff. The heart of the building is a light-flooded atrium with an imposing spiral staircase which rises upwards in a sweeping curve. Like everything else in the Biotope, the angled glass panels are both beautiful and functional; with
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double-skin facades regulating the interior temperature, reducing carbon emissions. The serpentine floorplan roughly follows a figureof-eight path, a dramatic departure from the traditional corridor-style office building. Instead, employees circulate through a winding trail of sky bridges, balconies and rooftop gardens. Large glass units link interior office spaces seamlessly, and every floor has access to the numerous exterior open spaces. In terms of functionality, the ground floor features a large reception hall, a 300-seat auditorium, a cafeteria and a bilingual nursery. The first floor is dominated by meeting and conference rooms; the secondto-sixth floors house offices with team and communal areas; and the seventh floor is a panoramic restaurant, which like the floors below has terraces, gardens and balconies.
