Executive search partnership and inovation, University of Nantes
Creating a new office space executive search partnership and inovation, University of Nantes
Titan has completed a green facade system for the Research Center of the University of Nantes, as part of the redevelopment of a 300m² office space, originally designed for shops. The installation features hanging plants on stainless steel tubes connecting the existing concrete columns.
The efficiency of this hydroponic model lies in the optimized maintenance solution. To ensure the longevity of the plants, the hanging geotextile containers use a watering system for subsurface irrigation designed in collaboration with botanist Claude Figureau, former Director of Plant Garden Nantes. Through a textile component directly connected to the root zone, the plants absorb as much water as needed, thus effectively creating a self-sufficient green coat.
The synergy between architecture and ecology answers to the specific requirements of the quality of the environment. The facade initially conceived as a showcase serves multiple functions. It is used to improve the air quality, as the vegetation absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen.
Installed along the existing glass facade, our concept seeks to establish new privacy for the office spaces, providing a visual barrier from the street and anticipating different scenarios by blurring the distinction between inside and outside. The ambiance is both intimate and interactive, presenting a moment for exploration. Screen-printings on the glass facade indicate the different plants and invite passers-by to interact with the facade. The installation explores the relationships between the spatial relations and our individual perceptions of it.
The principle of suspension and plant nutrition has been developed and tested at the agency for several months. The flexible and adaptable spatial concept enables open-plan configuration, creating new ways of experimentation of space. The technical elements are not hidden, but disappear to become a mediated image with the greenery. The experimental process is interpreted and staged, echoing to the research activities led inside the office spaces. The renovated office spaces forge intimate relationship between inside and outside.