Orange Headquarters (Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés)

Brenac & Gonzalez & Associés has recently completed three projects in Montpellier, in the South of France. The head office of Orange in La Pompignane, stands in a vast 28-hectare landscaped park originally part of the former IBM Campus.

The head office of Orange in La Pompignane, stands in a vast 28-hectare landscaped park originally part of the former IBM Campus. Nowadays, many new technology companies have chosen to settle here, attracted by its verdant Mediterranean environment and unique atmosphere.

The ground plan draws inspiration from quadrangle edifices and their vast central courtyards that for centuries served as the matrix for European universities. This new building houses a program comprised of 16,000 m² (172,223 sq. feet) of office space occupied by the headquarters of Orange. Adjacent to the north side of this basic geometric form stands the parking garage.

The architects have carefully integrated the project into this exceptional context, developed as a four-level landscaped building with wide balconies, planted terraces, and a vast, rolling central garden shaded by umbrella pines, cypress, and olive trees.

This landscaped interior frames the large transparent volume of the lobby crowned with a broad pergola, which connects the two main wings of the composition. This feature overlooking the site can host a wide range of services.

The strong presence of nature and the many outdoor areas create cool islands and places conducive to work-related sharing and socializing. BGA has imagined a Mediterranean building, a new type of service sector structure, adapted to the requirements of contemporary working conditions. It also responds to today’s desire for the “home office”, domestic style working.

Orange Campus Lyon (Hardel Le Bihan Architects and HGA-Hubert Godet Architects)