56-58 Rue Vieille-du-Temple is located in the heart of the Marais, in Paris’s 3rd arrondissement. The neighborhood allows employees to enjoy nearby museums, galleries, shops, and restaurants. Its central location makes it easy to access public transportation and eco-friendly modes of travel. Right in the heart of the bustling city yet secretly nestled within a tree-lined courtyard, the office occupies the site of a former printing plant, where PCA-STREAM renovated the main building and partially demolished the workshops. Their low-quality concrete sheds were removed to create a patio on the ground floor. The main workspaces are arranged around this open space, which serves as a light well. The new L-shaped building wraps around the patio. Its entrance features a glass gable reminiscent of a stylized house. The first floor facing the street houses the construction teams, while the garages at the back of the courtyard accommodate the model workshop, topped on the first floor overlooking the courtyard by a multipurpose reception apartment. A second courtyard entrance leads to the Stream Innovation Center. In total, the agency spans over 800 m2.
A statement workplace
The agency’s design was inspired by research on the evolution of work styles and spaces conducted for *After Office*, the second issue of the forward-looking journal *Stream*. Their findings were directly translated into the agency’s space, notably the idea that companies must offer a pleasant and inspiring work environment to attract talent, and that creativity thrives on the exchanges and collaborations fostered by the workplace. This environment offers the best working conditions for the agency’s employees and visitors. Its layout fosters collective inspiration, while providing distinct spaces and atmospheres suited to individual work and concentration. The overall organization emphasizes transparency, communication, and fluidity to encourage creativity and collective intelligence. On the walls, the agency’s contemporary art collection offers a respite from daily work, just as artists bring a unique perspective to the agency’s architectural projects.
An open resource space
To meet the needs of a large multidisciplinary team, the agency has designed different spaces for each type of activity. Employees have access to a cafeteria for coffee breaks or team work, several kitchens, a patio for informal work or meals, meeting rooms of various sizes, project rooms equipped with interactive screens for collaborative work sessions, a model workshop, a reprographics workshop, a library, a materials library, an apartment for receptions and informal meetings, a recording studio, and dedicated offices for the research, communications, interior design, and editorial teams… The atrium of the Stream Innovation Center, connected to the agency but capable of being partitioned off, opens onto workspaces, a dining area, and a movie theater. The agency thus organizes various types of events with researchers and key players in the city of tomorrow, following a program of thematic cycles throughout the year: interviews, roundtables, conferences, screenings, workshops…
The PCA-STREAM ecosystem responds to open-plan lifestyles, accompanied by a growing need for quality of life in the workplace. The connection to nature is enhanced by openings onto the patio and the landscaped courtyard. Everyone can work indoors or outdoors depending on the season or their preference. PCA-STREAM offers an inspiring workplace for teams, as well as a welcoming space where clients and partners enjoy coming to work and exchange ideas. Everyone gathers there regularly for more informal evenings and parties.
