Nanterre
France
A new low-carbon office development, using Soltis 99 and Soltis 99 LowE membranes.
Serge Ferrari Group contributed to the fit-out of the Arboretum campus in Nanterre, a new low-carbon office development, using Soltis 99 and Soltis 99 LowE membranes.
An Ambitious Project at the Intersection of Architecture and Nature
Located in Nanterre, west of Paris, on the former site of the Seine Paper Mills, Arboretum is Europe’s largest mass timber office campus. It stands as one of the most ambitious architectural projects of recent years, combining the regeneration of a former industrial brownfield site along the Seine with a pioneering approach to sustainable office development. Built primarily from mass timber, the campus has been designed around principles of comfort, resource efficiency, and environmental performance, with every aspect carefully considered to minimize its environmental impact.
Arboretum is also France’s largest office development to achieve BBCA (Low-Carbon Building) Excellence certification, as well as the E+C- E2C2 label.
An Open, Flexible Office Campus Designed Around Performance and User Experience
Spanning nearly 125,000 m² of office space set within an expansive landscaped park, Arboretum redefines the modern workplace by creating a more open, fluid, and collaborative environment. The campus has been designed to encourage interaction, facilitate movement, and accommodate a wide variety of uses.
Every aspect of the project—from material selection and architectural design to building operations and integrated services—has been developed to reduce its environmental footprint. Compared with a conventional office building, Arboretum cuts carbon emissions by nearly 50%, thanks to a combination of sustainable solutions including mass timber construction, bioclimatic design, and renewable energy systems. Energy demand has been significantly reduced, with consumption well below the average for office buildings, notably through the use of geothermal energy, which supplies the majority of the campus’s heating and cooling requirements.
This environmental performance is further enhanced by a site-wide circular approach incorporating water management, waste recovery, and the creation of vegetable gardens and orchards, promoting local food production while encouraging occupants to engage with biodiversity.
User comfort is equally central to the design. Extensive glazed façades maximize natural daylight while providing uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape. Terraces, outdoor circulation routes, communal areas, and integrated services all contribute to creating a dynamic and enjoyable working environment. This architectural openness also requires highly effective daylight management and solar control to ensure optimal indoor comfort throughout the day.
Soltis 99 and Soltis 99 LowE Technical Fabrics for Enhanced Daylight Management and Indoor Comfort
To meet Arboretum’s demanding performance objectives, Soltis 99 and Soltis 99 LowE solar protection fabrics were selected for the building’s windows. Installed as interior blinds by Cyb Stores, Serge Ferrari Group’s composite fabrics perfectly support the project’s overall strategy of energy efficiency and environmental performance.
Installed as interior solar protection, the fabrics regulate both daylight and solar heat gain by filtering incoming light and reducing glare within the building. They also enhance thermal comfort by acting as an effective thermal shield. Soltis 99 LowE stands out thanks to its low-emissivity properties: while it absorbs solar heat, it reflects most of it back rather than re-radiating it indoors, further improving the building’s energy efficiency and reducing cooling requirements.
Thin and lightweight, Soltis 99 and Soltis 99 LowE benefit from Serge Ferrari Group’s Précontraint® technology, ensuring outstanding dimensional stability over time. Beyond improving visual and thermal comfort throughout the workspaces, these composite membranes also reinforce the project’s contemporary architectural aesthetic, highlighting Arboretum’s innovative character.
Project Team
Architects: Leclercq Associés, Nicolas Laisné Architectes, DREAM Architecture, Hubert et Roy Architectes
Developer: WO2
Investor: BNP Paribas Real Estate
Client / Installer: Cyb Stores
Copyright: Kamel Khalfi
