Passive design helps Lucio building regulate its temperature

The architectural design of the Lucio office building in Lille, France, integrates with the sun for variable lighting and temperature control in a smart passive design.

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Developed by Barbarito Bancel architects for client Foncière de L’Érable, the new building sits in a developing area along the banks of the Deûle. The location rests within EuraTechnologies, an economic hub for information and communication technology. Startups from around the world are located here, creating a community of research and development laboratories, corporate buildings, schools and more.

A streetview of the Lucio office building.

Optimally situating the building took precedence, and the result is a complex that opens into the Cour de Bretagne plaza. Lucio faces the main building of the new development called Le Blan-Lafont, which features a bell tower and represents the region’s historical thread mills.

The Lucio building's exterior, showing reflective panes and a tree to the left.

The Lucio interior office spaces have a modular design, possible because of the completely open floor plan void of vertical columns. However, the real architectural action takes place in the four facades of the building that are exposed to the sun most of the day. This passive design not only creates a welcoming workplace but lowers energy consumption through natural lighting within the compact and efficiently-built space.

An open plan office interior surrounded by glass walls.

Lighting and temperature throughout the space are controlled via glass and aluminum louvers that drape the entire facade. The technology allows the outer shell to open and close in response to the weather, providing more or less natural light as needed. The system ensures energy efficiency by providing solar heat when it’s cold and protecting against solar heat when it’s hot. The windows also offer extensive and impressive views of the surrounding public areas.

A close-up of the building's exterior glass louvers.

The lightly-colored exterior materials for the building stand in contrast to the surrounding brick buildings. Inside, the layout optimizes light, energy and temperature control by using prestressed, lightened concrete slabs. An ultra-efficient HVAC system balances out the cooling needs.

+ Barbarito Bancel

Via v2com, Archivibe

Images via Alessandra Chemollo

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Passive design helps Lucio building regulate its temperature is written by Dawn Hammon for inhabitat.com