A successful duo for Saint-Gobain and Ateliers Jean Nouvel
With their unique scale façade in the Parisian urban landscape (France), the Duo Towers represent a perfect architectural, technological and technical match between the expertise of Saint-Gobain solutions and the creative intent of Ateliers Jean Nouvel.
The Duo Towers make their presence felt in the east of Paris (France) with their wiggling style and dizzying height. Reaching 180 meters, they are the third highest building in the capital, after the Eiffel Tower and the Tour Montparnasse. These towers, designed by Ateliers Jean Nouvel, link the center and the periphery of the city, and include no fewer than 139 hotel rooms, 69,000 m2 (Duo 1) and 19,000 m2 (Duo 2) of office space, as well as a gym and shops.
For this project, the Ateliers Jean Nouvel wanted the exterior environment to be reflected dynamically on the buildings. They were looking for glazing that would allow the animation of the ring road and the railways to be seen on the façades of the two towers. This architectural intention was therefore coupled with a technological challenge.
In response to their request, Saint-Gobain's French specification teams provided, in addition to A4 and 500 x 500 mm samples, a (physical-realistic) simulation of the prescribed glazing, generated using GLASSPRO LIVE. Using this tool, capable of taking into account the specificities of the urban environment while visualizing the performance of the glazing in real conditions (rainy or sunny weather), the Ateliers Jean Nouvel chose COOL-LITE® ST BRIGHT SILVER. This solar control glass has a very neutral glossy appearance (light reflection RL = 31%), and is transparent (light transmission TL = 68%), allowing it to reflect the outside environment.
In addition to the expertise of Saint-Gobain Glass, other Saint-Gobain Group brands were involved in this project. The specifications were ambitious for the construction of these 180 and 125 meter high towers. CHRYSO's expertise enabled the company to meet a number of technical challenges for the admixture of concrete: control of pumpability over a long distance, production of a high-performance concrete with a wide workability range and component fire resistance.
Placo® also contributed to the buildings. It provided solutions and systems for partitions and ceilings (Duo'Tec® 25, Placoplatre® BA 18S, Habito® and Aquaroc®), while also ensuring waterproofing for wet rooms, acoustic performance and fire protection.
The Duo Towers are the embodiment of multiple synergies between the Group's various businesses.