INRAE Laboratory in Champenoux

  • INRAE Laboratory in Champenoux, a curved timber-framed research building with vertical sunshades, glazed façades and planted atrium edge facing fields.
  • Central atrium of the INRAE Laboratory in Champenoux, with timber galleries, open staircases and planted voids under a large diffuse skylight.
  • Central planted atrium of the INRAE Laboratory in Champenoux, with timber walkways and stairs around a skylit, double-height interior garden.
  • INRAE Laboratory in Champenoux, with dark facade panels, vertical yellow-glazed openings and exposed timber gallery framing an external stair core.
  • Exterior view of INRAE Laboratory in Champenoux, showing curved south wing with dense vertical timber fins, glazed façades and planted landscape foreground.
  • Detail of the curved south wing of the INRAE Laboratory in Champenoux, showing layered timber gallery, vertical slats and glazed offices behind.
  • INRAE Laboratory in Champenoux with timber post-and-beam façades, glazed bands and external gallery, set in a landscaped lawn with mature trees.

The INRAE site in Champenoux is dedicated to research in forest ecology and genomics. The project arranges offices and laboratories in two distinct volumes around a central planted atrium, naturally lit by a large skylight. The north wing is straight and smooth, while the south wing is curved and features a deep timber gallery. The building combines environmental performance and flexibility: a local timber post-and-beam structure, ground-coupled air system, miscanthus-fuelled heating system.

Project details

  • Address
    Champenoux, Meurthe-et-Moselle
  • Dates
    2008-2012
  • Programme
    Offices, reception areas, laboratories
  • Surface area
    1,440 m2
  • Budget
    5.5 M€
  • Regulatory framework
    RT 2005
  • Energy consumption
    42 kWh/m2/year
  • Labels
    NF HQE Tertiaire
  • Notable details
    Biomass heating system with on-site planting, ground-coupled heat exchanger, solid Vosges pine tree structure, photovoltaic panels
  • Selected media
    Planète Bâtiment – avril 2013, La Lettre B – juin 2014

Credits

  • Client
    INRA
  • Project management
    Tectoniques (architect, lead), Tectoniques Ingénieurs (cost consultant), Jacques Anglade (timber structure), Sechaud et Boussuyt (electrical engineering, MEP engineering), Inddigo (sustainability consultant), Itinéraire bis (landscape architect)
  • Photography
    Renaud Araud

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