CFL organized a competition for the design and construction of a new administrative building on a plot of land in the heart of the new Dernier Sol district in Luxembourg. This building will house the Infrastructure Maintenance Department and consolidate various site requirements (bus, train, equipment).

During the design phase, we not only draw on the industrial identity of the context, but also anticipate the transformation of the neighborhood. The construction of the new CFL building will contribute to the renewal of this urban fringe by creating an urban frontage on Kyiv Boulevard, while respecting the mixed character of the neighborhood. The arrival of the tramway has already profoundly changed the neighborhood, placing the site just 5 minutes from the main railway station and 10 minutes from the city center.

We propose a building that integrates into the existing industrial environment and initiates the transition to a new urbanity. The massing is simple and immediately legible, with prismatic blocks whose height decreases on the peripheral side, accompanying the exit from the city. The architectural expression is defined by the contrast between the industrial language of the gables and the warmer vocabulary of the double façades, with wood in the background.

We place living beings at the heart of our project. We paid particular attention to reducing the extent of impermeable surfaces and increasing the number of trees on the site. This natural environment extends to the edge of the avenue’s sidewalks.

The various program elements are organized on either side of a central hall, a true place for living and sharing. It creates a meeting point in a light-filled, thermally comfortable space: a sheltered, shared area on the scale of an interior street.

Footbridges on all floors connect the different buildings. Far more than circulation areas, they are places for living and sharing, with spaces for informal work and relaxation.

With the large hall, occupants have access to semi-outdoor, thermally comfortable spaces, enabling them to work on the move. The vertical circulation unfolding within its volume encourages daily encounters. We adopt functional, technical, and architectural approaches based on rationality and durability.