valode & pistre has unveiled the ‘tour saint-gobain’ tower, located within the la défense major business district in paris, france. designed as the future showcase for company saint-gobain’s expertise and international image, the tower is an efficient, functional and flexible link that connects the worlds of the la défense esplanade and ring road, with the courbevoie residential areas.

近日，VP建筑设计事务所为位于法国巴黎拉德芳斯核心商务区内的圣戈班大厦揭幕。作为圣戈班公司专业知识和国际形象的未来展示，这座大厦是一个高效、便捷且灵活的纽带，连接着拉德芳斯商务区与住宅区。

valode & pistre‘s primary concern was to create a tower that involves and affects people. the architects aimed to evoke emotions through their scultpural design, employing a new dynamic geometry: rhombohedra. the rhombohedron is a cube with faces shaped as diamonds or parallelograms instead of squares or rectangles. with the same height and volume as a normal straight prism, the silhouette soars upwards and the tower stands out, with its variations compelling the interest in this huge tripartite composition. the observer is also touched by the ambiguous graphic play between the horizontal, the framework of floors on the façade, and the oblique, parallel to the upper and lower faces of the rhombohedra. 

在设计过程中，VP始终关注如何令一座大厦能够最大程度地吸引和影响居民。为通过笔下设计的建筑结构唤起情感，建筑师们的采用了一种新的动态几何：菱形面体。菱形面体是一个立方体，其面形状为菱形或平行四边形，而不是正方形或长方形。它的高度和体积与普通的直棱镜一样，轮廓向上高耸，令塔楼显得格外突出。在多变的形态吸引人们对这一巨大构造兴趣的同时，平、立面上的地板框架和平行于菱形面斜边之间的图形变化也令人印象深刻。

the tower’s distinct, expressive morphology makes it seem like it is floating above the ground. it is arranged in three sections: the main body which houses the office spaces, the lower section that includes the services, and other premises open to the public, and the upper section which is the ‘plein ciel’ (open sky) space. given the tower’s location on the edge of the slab, alongside the ring road, it allows both main and pedestrian access from the esplanade and another access at ring road level that provides an address on the boulevard along with taxi and bicycle access.

圣戈班大厦独特而富有表现力的形态使它看起来就像漂浮在地面上。它分为三个部分：办公空间的塔楼部分，低层的服务空间和其他对外开放场所，以及高层的露天空间。大厦毗邻环路，沿环路主干道及人行道可穿过大厦，以便出租车和自行车通行。

the office area section is an elongated rectangle with a slightly off-centre core, providing varying depths from 7 to 12 m. the geometry and framework of the space is highly flexible, allowing a variation in space planning using more or fewer partitions. the floors located on the top prism include the meeting, communication and reception areas, while a restaurant and a large indoor garden complete the facilities. the office areas offer a panoramic view of the city, and the high window lintels, low apron walls and the limited depth of the spaces provide sufficient natural lighting and encourage a relationship with the surroundings. the office floors have accessible, outdoor gardens that are nevertheless protected from the wind. the main hall, combined with the showroom, opens to the esplanade as a sign of welcome.

办公区部分是一个细长的矩形，有一个稍微偏离中心的核心，提供从7到12米不等的空间进深。空间形态和框架高度灵活，允许在空间规划中使用更多或更少的分区。位于顶部棱柱体的楼层设置有餐厅和大型室内花园，提供包括会议区、通讯区和接待区在内的设施。高窗楣、低裙墙和有限的空间深度为办公区提供了充足的自然采光和视野，可俯瞰城市全貌和周边景致。办公楼层设有防风的无障碍室外花园。主厅与展厅结合，向广场开放，以示欢迎。

the tower has been designed with a focus on environmental concerns, with an array of spatial, architectural and technical solution combination making the tower bioclimatic. reversible radiant ceilings and a low-speed air displacement ventilation system were installed, in teaming up with the very high thermal performance of the façade, in order to reach positive environmentally-friendly results. in addition, rainwater is collected for watering the gardens, and the vegetation naturally helps to cool the glasshouses.

圣戈班大厦的设计着眼于环境问题，通过一系列空间、建筑和技术解决方案的融合，圣戈班大厦具有生态性。大厦安装了可逆辐射天花板和低速空气置换通风系统，配合立面的极高热性能，以达到积极的环保效果。此外，雨水被收集起来用于浇灌花园，植被也将有助于温室降温。