The Phare premises, which have been occupied by the Villes et Villages team since 2012, have been completely renovated. A great success!
Le Phare, a building located in Saint-Martin-le-Vinoux, houses the headquarters of Villes et Villages. Fitted out in 2012, its offices had long met the teams’ needs. But the company’s growth and the current use of the space called for a redesign… Renovations were therefore carried out, and with great efficiency! On the6th floor, work began on June 15, 2022, and was completed in mid-October. Everything was demolished, however, with the exception of two firewalls…
Clarify and streamline
The goal of this renovation was to create more space and bring in more natural light. Onthe 6th floor, nine large offices and the partitioned areas that had made the rooms feel dark were completely redesigned. Now, thirteen12-square-meter offices and two open-plan areas provide enough space for all employees, including those from the Annecy office when the entire team gathers. Storage, meanwhile, has been largely consolidated and centralized to optimize space (and reduce paper…).
Onthe 5th floor, the only floor open to the public, there are now three offices. One is reserved for sales, and two are dedicated to the Federation of Developers. There is also a showroom equipped with display cases, two spacious meeting rooms, and a cozy kitchen area.
Balance and elegance
The redesign of these spaces also takes into account changing attitudes toward the workplace, which have recently been called into question by the COVID-19 crisis.“It was a matter of finding the right balance,” explains Alexia Allamanno, associate director at Villes et Villages. Fully partitioned offices isolate employees and leave little room for interaction, but open-plan offices tend to be noisy, uncomfortable, and, ultimately, unproductive in certain respects.” This balance was therefore achieved by designing closed offices that are partially glass-enclosed, along with other spaces exclusively dedicated to meetings and interaction.
Flavie Legrand, the interior designer commissioned for this project, explains that“nowadays, employee well-being is a priority, so the workspace must be pleasant. For Villes et Villages, we worked together to bring in light, warm materials, and elegance. And personally, I favor simplicity and timelessness.” A success, in any case, according to the employees who have been back at work there for several months now, with enthusiasm…
Photos: The circumstances
