BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group . OXO Architectes
Designed in collaboration with OXO Architectes, our new 15.000 m2 innovation center for Sorbonne University is rapidly rising amongst its neighbors – Parisian architectural icons of all eras: Institut du Monde Arabe, Campus Jussieu, and Notre Dame. The center, expected to open in 2025, will be a significant addition to Sorbonne’s Faculty of Science, strengthen knowledge-sharing with the wider French society, and support academic scholars in their entrepreneurial pursuits.
The new multidisciplinary research center of Sorbonne University, located between Jean Nouvel’s Institut du Monde Arabe and the open green park of Sorbonne’s Jussieu Campus will become a significant addition to the campus, strengthening the international appeal and openness of the leading French University for Science and Medicine. The facility will bring together academic scholars and the business community, while re-connecting the university physically and visually with the city of Paris.
Located in the visual axis of the Notre Dame Cathedral in a dense context of university buildings from different historical periods, BIG proposes a building geometry that adapts to the specific conditions of all adjoining sides, optimized for daylight, views and accessibility. The three-dimensional envelope retracts from the neighboring facades, opens up towards the Mohammed V Square and the park, and folds into a publicly accessible rooftop landscape, resulting in an adapted sculptural building volume.
A central canyon provides daylight and a visual connection between laboratories and offices. In the atrium a cascade of informal meeting spaces lead to the public rooftop terrace and faculty club. A public stair to the rooftop offers glimpses into the activities of the laboratories which are divided by transparent walls throughout the building to ensure visual connections between the working spaces. The upper levels have panoramic views towards the Notre Dame and the skyline of Paris.
The iconic view of the Notre Dame cathedral is not only brought into the daily life of the building though the large panoramic windows, but the façade facing Mohammed V Square is also slightly angled, so a mirror image of the cathedral becomes visible from eyelevel on the square – connecting the innovation center visually to its iconic location.
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Ingrid Albina Oliva Lampa
Lore Vyfeyken
BIG
PARTNER IN CHARGE
Bjarke Ingels
Jakob Sand
Andreas Klok Pedersen
PROJECT MANAGER
Robert Grimm
PROJECT LEADER
Francisco Castellanos
PROJECT TEAM
Aimee Louise Desert
Alex Bogdan Ritivoi
Alexander Codda
Alexandre Carpentier
Alžbeta Hlinová
Amro Abdelsalam
Andrea Angelo Suardi
Antonina Tsepurnohh
Bernhard Touzet
Boris Kadiyski
Camille Crepin
Daniel Sundlin
Edouard Boisse
Elena Bresciani
Fabio Garau
Finn Nørkjær
Francois Ducatez
Gabrielle Nadeau
Gerhard Pfeiler
Gül Ertekin
Jean Paysant
Jose Ignacio Balaguer Palacios
Lucie Krulichova
Matteo Baggiarini
Michael Leef
Nanna Gyldholm Møller
Ole Elkjær-Larsen
Quentin Blaising
Robinson Neuville
Sergiu Calacean
Simona Reiciunaite
Sorcha Burke
Tiina Liisa Juuti
Tobias Hjortdal
Yang Du
BIG ENGINEERING
Andrea Hektor
Andreas Bak
Andy Coward
Bjarke Koch-Ørvad
Cæcilie Søs Brandt-Olsen
Duncan Horswill
Edward Durie
Emma Isabelle Olsson
Ricardo Candel
Roberto Fabbri
Thomas Lejeune
Timo Harboe Nielsen
OXO Architectes
Founder
Manal Rachdi
Project managers
Marie-Laure Coste Grange
Jean-Paul De Moura
Project team
Alberto Rossetti
Alexander Fripp
Jeanne Ferrara
Irene Bargues
Luisa Stoler
Ben Soquier
Océane Schroeder
Mariana Haas
Jordan Montandon
Carla Amat
Sara Franzetti
Katarzyna Gocek
Rafael Lopez
Francesco Sadocco
Laurine Coing
Tanguy Vermet
Ute Rinnebach
Patrick O’Connor
Marie Lançon
Lily Mansouri
Daniel Colin
Antonio Rovira
Akram Rachdi
Olfa Kamoon
COLLABORATORS
SPAN
Igrec Ingnierie
Bureau Michel Forgue
Franck Boutté Consultants
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