Le Monde headquarters, Paris

French newspaper Le Monde wanted a headquarters that would hold a place in the heart of Paris similar to the place it occupies within the landscape of French media. The building has to be both landmark and observatory, to make sense of the city that it calls home, and in return to provide it with a singular and exacting viewpoint. As the site benefits from exceptional visibility, the project had first and foremost to put forward its urban qualities.
Its massing acts as an indicator of the complex topography of the site, and of the rich architectural heritage of the surrounding area. But it is above all within the editorial offices, inside looking out, that we wanted to provide the staff of Le Monde with stimulating spaces. A building within which information circulates freely, where ideas can be thought through calmly. A protective haven for the journalists, conducive to debate, while also forming a place to welcome the political, economic and cultural figures of the moment, as well as the readers themselves of the different titles published by the group.