Head offices of the Centre-Val de Loire Regional Authority in Orléans

This development is located in Orléans’ old town near the Sainte-Croix cathedral. The old cityscape consists of domestic stone and timber-framed houses and a few key structuring buildings, such as the Gallo-Romain fortifications and the Prefecture. The development’s main challenge was to integrate a large tertiary building into the centre of the old town, the "soul of the city".

The sloping plot could only be accessed from its four outer corners. This unique situation dictated the positions of the storeys and entrances to the building, which is arranged around a central courtyard and from which only the cathedral can be seen on the skyline.

The timber post-and-beam structure creates a visible framework on the outside of the building, bracing the outer walls while providing continuity with the half-timbered houses in the old town.

A substructure made from Souppes stone, partially dug into the hill, was used to house the mechanical equipment rooms in order to free up all accessible roof areas.