A completely transparent law firm, thanks to H7 partitions
In the suburbs of Clermont-Ferrand, our partner and the architects’ firm recently converted a former call centre situated in attractive premises filled with curves and lightness, in order to realise a law firm. This realisation was made possible thanks to the qualities of the H7 partition, which combines acoustic performance, clarity and flexible contours.
The project
The premises were located in an industrial building featuring an empty platform. The aim, for the three experienced lawyers making up the firm, was to set up their new offices, a space they saw as modern and dynamic, focused on the new challenges of their profession and tailored to their clients’ requirements.
To promote collaborative working, the associates were looking for very open spaces that nevertheless guaranteed the utmost confidentiality during meetings with clients.
Individual offices therefore needed to be combined with a vast central area for open exchanges, on a square platform of which only two façades look out towards the exterior.
H7 partitions made with glazed panels.
“We wanted the configuration of the premises to be a complete reflection of our objective of being together. It had to give meaning to the notion of collaborative working whilst also respecting our duty of confidentiality”, said the co-founder of the law firm.
“The idea was also to break with the traditions of the profession, which typically receives clients in luxurious, hushed and walled-off locations, by proposing an open space characterised by fluidity and clarity”, the lawyer continued.
“The difficulty in responding to this need for clarity is that we had only two open façades”, explained the architect from the firm of Neumann Pourtier. “We thus placed the offices next to the sources of natural light, and the technical areas and meeting rooms in a completely open central area.”
In the interests of confidentiality, the partitions dividing up the offices were installed as full H7 partitions, and the partitions marking out the corridors are glazed H7 partitions, thus allowing a maximum of light to penetrate into the central area. During meetings, micro-perforated blinds installed in the double glazing mean that offices can be insulated visually whilst letting light in.
“To break up the rigid lines of the square platform, we opted for corridors with curved lines. It is very difficult to get decent glass curves without paying an exorbitant price. Here, we managed it by using 1.20 m modules fitted as facets. The textured black risers add considerable visual appeal. The combination of treated glass facets and these risers gives a really interesting effect of materials and reflections”, the architect continued.
SPOTLIGHT ON H7 GLAZED PARTITIONS
“We have already seen some of hOyez’s realisations so we are familiar with the quality of their work. We knew that working hand-in-hand with them would guarantee us a beautiful result!”
Sure enough, the space, once configured simply with white walls and a beautiful greyish-blue carpet, gives a genuine sensation of fluidity. The hints of curves, the transparency and the light bathing the entire office meet every one of the lawyers’ expectations.
“The acoustic treatment is perfect. The blinds allow us to have a little temporary privacy, while simultaneously working in an open space”, the client acknowledged. “It really makes exchanging with your colleagues easier. In addition to offering a refined finish, the configuration adopted makes a real contribution towards making our business run more smoothly and improving collaborative working.”
Feedback from the distributor and installer
“The H7 partition is a lovely, very versatile partition. It can be fitted in a wide range of combinations, with either solid or glazed finishes. It is the perfect product for this firm: it combines acoustic performance, clarity and flexible contours.
To meet confidentiality requirements, we reinforced the already good acoustic performance of the solid partitions by incorporating a Tec 36 membrane, and added micro-perforated blinds to the glazed partitions. The architect wanted full-height partitions for the glazed area. We opted for the fully glazed version of the standard H7 partition, with 30 mm aluminium cover plates. The end result is very light.
To achieve the curved outlines of the glazed partitions, we used a little ingenuity! Im several places, we fitted two aluminium risers side by side to break up the flow of the lines, which made it possible to obtain this curving contour. For the interior angles, we then inserted small, folded sections of metal sheeting of the same colour to fill in the gaps. This was really a custom-made solution. We are very happy with it and the end result looks great!”
By Anne Aitzegagh
