Architects Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés’ project in Clichy, Paris

In the Parisian suburb of Clichy, architects Brenac & Gonzalez et Associés were tasked by developer Ogic with densifying a site. They did this by designing two office buildings, which complement and contrast with the 19th-century neighbourhood.

“Both were designed using language inspired by industrial architecture,” says Brenac & Gonzalez architect Stefan Tuchila. In material terms, this was translated with noble materials, including stone and metal. “We then made separate colour choices.”

One building, The Factory, is black, intended to stand out. The other, The Loft, is white, and intended to blend in. This is a long, wide street, which means that The Factory and The Loft can be seen from afar. There are a lot of stone and stone-coloured buildings around from the 1980s and 1970s. “We felt this would integrate well,” Tuchila says of their design solution.

Colours and materials to make the building blend in

For The Loft, the architects chose classic light-coloured stone from Portugal, in order to create a dialogue with the existing buildings. They then searched for a colour that would work well with the pale stone for the metal window and door frames. “The metal is a bit darker because we didn’t want it to be exactly the same colour as the stone,” he explains. “It has the same kind of base, but is more saturated.” This is Axalta’s Quartz Glint from its ICONICA collection.

On the subject of the exteriors of buildings: “You’ll see colour before you see shape,” he says. “Sometimes, a building’s role is to stand out, for example it is intended as a signature building on a street or in an area. But usually, the building needs to be in context, whether that’s an urban context or nature. Then, it’s about choosing colours and materials that help the building blend in.”