Surfrider Foundation

Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat

SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

Gardera-D Architecture

PHOTOGRAPHS
Mathieu Choiselat

AREA
1000 m²

YEAR
2012

LOCATION
Biarritz, France

CATEGORY
Office Buildings

The project for SURFRIDER FOUNDATION EUROPE headquarters is housed in two pre-existing industrial sheds. Existing volumes have been completely emptied and uncluttered, the skin envelopes isolated to meet the new 2012 thermal regulation and the existing roofs containing asbestos replaced by new steel sandwich panels integrating zenithal lightning as well as all the new technical fluids equipment.

Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat
Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat

The floor, entirely freed on an overall surface of 1000 sqm can thus accommodate, under a single unifying roof, the two programmatic entities forming the new space: a free area destined for educational exhibitions purposes and a zone of tertiary activities for approximately 60 workers (open space, boxes, meeting rooms, cafeteria...)

The two different programs develop on each side of a gigantic wooden wave-like partition wall.

This technical element is made from a highly performing layering of sandwich composite wood panels habitually used in transportation construction (boats and trains construction industry) and allowing for a maximum treatment in term of acoustical issues (insulation + absorption).

Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat
Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat

The "wave" separates the volume in two parts and act as a real soundproof screen, thus permitting two distinctive programs to cohabit in a same generic and unifying space.

The sound coming from the noisy exhibition area (young kids classrooms are common visitors) bumps and slides on the outside “reverberant” birch surface of the wave, being projected further up towards the under face of the existing sheds roofs which are acoustically treated for absorption.

Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat
Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat

The under face of the waves, beneath which long table elements are plugged, is entirely treated as a sound “absorbing” surface, thus providing a particularly comfortable zone for working.

By “slicing” the existing volume in two different parts, using a long furniture element clearly identifiable as a “WAVE”, SURFRIDER FOUNDATION users can thus refer to a strong identity-maker element whose technical capacities also permits to profit from the generous pre-existing volume rather than clearly separate it into two different isolated entities.

Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat


Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat
Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat
Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat
Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat
Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat


Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat
Surfrider Foundation
© Mathieu Choiselat


Surfrider Foundation
Floor Plan
Surfrider Foundation
Section


Surfrider Foundation
Axometry