The Pont de Sevres complex, named for the nearby bridge over the Seine, was built in 1975 by Daniel Badani and Pierre Roux-Dorlu. It consists of nine 6-sided petal towers connected in "inflorescences" with three "petals" in each. The ensemble on the river bank was clearly visible from afar, especially at the beginning, when there was an industrial zone around: the suburb of Boulogne-Biaincourt, where it is located, was the location of Renault factories for a long time. At the beginning of the 21st century, this territory, including the Seguin Island, began to be actively reconstructed, turning it into a mixed development area. It was decided not to demolish the spectacular, albeit faded complex Pont de Sevres, but to completely renew it. Dominique Perrault won the competition for the corresponding project in 2007, and this year the complex under the new name CityLights was put into operation.
Almost everything has changed in the buildings, except for their external shape. Instead of brown panels, their facades are now made of glass and aluminum - shiny and silk-screened. The attention is immediately drawn to the light-reflecting "bracelets" worn on the towers; in the dark they are illuminated with LEDs. They gave the complex a new name, translated from English - "Big City Lights".
The spaces between the towers have been completely redesigned with a new park and walkways linking CityLights to the surrounding area. The central hall-lobby is also completely new, decorated with shiny metal and an "Albatross" chandelier (it is made up of 14 "birds" with a 6-meter wingspan). From there you can get to the lobbies of each of the three towers, five canteens for employees, a conference center with a hall for 300 seats, a service center with a dry cleaning and spa center, a fitness center, and a nursery garden for employees' children. The complex has parking for 975 cars, 220 motorcycles and scooters, 300 bicycles.
A typical office floor in the first and third towers has an area of 1400 m2, in the second - 1850 m2. The tenth "petal" was attached to the second tower from the Seine side. The hexagonal shape offers panoramic views of Paris and its western suburbs from the interior; 95% of office space is provided with direct sunlight, a third of workplaces are corner. Due to the layout, no more than 12 employees can be seen at a time, which creates a more intimate atmosphere than in large "open spaces".
One of the goals of the renovation was to bring the complex to modern "green" standards. In addition to the breathable double façade, which provides natural light to the interior, the architects envisioned a 3-inch strip of enamelled aluminum exterior blinds that can be adjusted according to the weather by an automatic building management system.
CityLights, according to the architects, will consume 50% less energy than the “reference group” office complex, and six times less energy than a conventional building with costs of 300 kWh / m2 / year. Water saving technologies will reduce water consumption by 30%.
