Eurocontrol
Eurocontrol is a pan-European organization based in Brussels that oversees operational airspace for both civil and military purposes, encompassing commercial planes and drones. The organization includes 42 global members to date.
The headquarters of their aviation research and software optimization is moving to Saclay, a southwestern suburb of Paris. RPBW won the design competition in 2023 with its pragmatic approach: The exterior is inspired by a hangar space while the interior implements modular design elements in light wood via elegantly rhythmic structuring. The building provides three subset sectors: office spaces, simulation test centers, and event spaces to receive pan-European delegates. The forthcoming aerial metro line 18, in the process of being built, will connect the space directly to Paris. The building will be delivered in 2028.
General plan: Open Spaces, Exceptional Facilities, and a lot of Greenery
The ground floor entrance is accessible from the north, overhung by the auditorium space (144 seats). An “interior street” links different areas, doubling as a buffer zone between spaces. This throughway, overhung by a luminous glass roof, leads to the blackout simulation center at the back of the building, adjoined by conference rooms for briefings. The simulation center is heavily regulated to control noise and temperature within its double concrete walls, allowing ongoing aviation protocols to be tested under the very best conditions.
The open plan office spaces instill an appealing spatial receptiveness - no density, no discomfort. Given the modular structure, sub-units can be refashioned as needed for privacy. The tree-dense garden at the back of the building, located on its south-facing side, is a calming space for office personnel’s leisure time and breaks.
Sustainable Structures and a Canopied Photovoltaic Roof
The building, which extends 100 meters in length, has ambitious environmental objectives. For carbon and thermic reasons, the structure was built with pergolas of angled laths that filter in the northern light and block any southern glare inside. There are no operational mechanisms in place—it is an inbuilt “passive” system that requires no maintenance and has no carbon or energetic impact. The form functions independently through the design: a notable cost-cutting measure. Although only 30% of the facade is frontal glass, there is a porous sense of transparency throughout. The traversing east/west light filters through the thick greenery lining the building.
In continuity with the facade, the photovoltaic roof has angled panels.
In the meantime, the roof of the simulation building’s hosts a suspended canopy garden with 12-to-15-meter high trees planted like a nursery, cushioned by 1.20 meters of soil. The trees offer shade and help lower the overall temperature during hotter seasons.
Under the zeppelin-like aluminum shell of the exterior, the interior offices are anchored by an efficient design based on lightness and transparency. The systematic structure is articulated in light wood (the building is equipped with a misting sprinkler system in an emergency): the laminated beams and shafts are implemented in a rhythmic fashion, creating a placid and naturalist ambiance thanks to the nobility of the material. The warmth of the wood pairs harmoniously with the hospitable nature of the modular offices.
There is no outdoor lighting source other than the gentle emanation from within the building. Inside, all the ceiling lights angle homogeneously upwards; illuminations are activated by radars that respond to human presence, shutting off at night.
This building unfolds as an original, sensitive, and graceful answer to the evolving questions of design - where technological restraint meets environmental frugality, where comfort is crafted with care, and where shared, planted spaces are celebrated as places of life and encounter.
As the first emergence of the new Corbeville district, it becomes both threshold and signal: a welcoming gateway and a lasting emblem of a n7eighborhood shaped by its gaze toward the future.
Project Details
Status
Client
Eurocontrol
Design
Renzo Piano Building Workshop, architects
Design Team
D.Franceschin (partner in charge)