Vélizy, PSA Peugeot Citroën Design Center, France

Vélizy, PSA Peugeot Citroën Design Center, France

In 2000, the PSA Group launches the construction of its Design Center, a creation hub and technical lab for the design of Peugeot and Citroën vehicles, united for the first time under the same roof. This 70,000 m² building is highly secured.

The building is organized in horizontal strata, which combine concrete and glass, where transparency and opalescence alternate. It stands out as a 220 meter long curvy vessel, in a terrace landscape bordering the RN 118 highway. This facade was illuminated in collaboration with James Turrell, offering a luminous and colorful symphony at dusk. Artificial lighting of the styling sets comes to supplement then substitute for natural light towards the East.

The vehicle showroom is the nerve center of the building. Artificial light plays a crucial role to allow assessing vehicles without any change in viewing conditions.

The windowless room was designed according to the light, with an elliptical shape in order to optimize light distribution on the vehicles. Artificial light primarily comes into the room from a very large scale translucent bay, which is backlit with a set of 130, 1000W projectors to obtain 2,000 lux on the cars.

PROJECT TEAM

Lighting Design: Concepto
In collaboration with James Turrell for the facade illumination
Project management: Lead Architecture Atelier Ripault-Duhart, Landscape Design Latitude Nord, BET SETEC
Contracting owner: PSA
Completion: 2004

Photo credit : Concepto