Key information
157 av. Charles de Gaulle, Neuilly sur Seine
5 floors, 6680 m2 of office space, 680 employees
12 months of works
32% reduction in carbon footprint
2 certifications: Leed Gold & Well Platinum
Sanofi
The office – good for your health, good for the planet
To make people want to come back to the office, you have to rethink the company’s fundamentals: in January 2023, the 680 employees of Sanofi CHC, a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical group, moved into their new headquarters, Lab 157. The Saguez & Partners agency designed this workplace to create a collective human experience focused on health and well-being.
Laboratory of new ideas
To work at Lab 157 is to live a human collective experience, focused on health and well-being. As if on a large open playground, but on a human scale, the 680 employees at the offices of Sanofi CHC, a subsidiary of the pharmaceutical group, are invited to move around throughout the day. Saguez & Partners imagined different routes, because movement creates dynamics and agility, and encourages new encounters and new ways of working.
Less but better, the furniture is arranged in a useful and reasoned way.
Making new out of old
Throughout the project, Saguez & Partners followed a logic of reasoned and virtuous design. Starting with the circular economy. To limit the consumption and waste of resources, our team of interior designers opted for carpets sourced from reuse (over 22% of the floor covering surface). To guarantee traceability, we called on local partners committed to reusing furniture: 1 out of 2 alternative workstations is reused; i.e., 47% of all seating!
A set of graphic interventions captures employees’ attention with playful, punchy messages: “This chair is certainly older than you, it’s second-hand”; “I’m a 100% recycled wood table”; “All our paints are certified 100% natural”.
New materials have been carefully sourced to promote the use of natural or bio-sourced materials, resulting in 32% carbon savings, according to the LCA carried out by BET Environnement.
Demountable, modular, infinitely reassemblable
Eco-designed and custom-designed fittings are based on the principles of cabinetmaking, with mechanical joints (mortise-and-tenon type), without glue or screws, for a longer lifespan, without compromising on quality.
Varying uses and spaces
Alcoves, phoneboxes, collaborative high tables, open or closed meeting rooms... Each employee will be offered zones adapted to their job, activity and needs throughout the day. The diversity of working postures and ergonomics are at the heart of the project. More than a third of the 431 workstations are height-adjustable. Because exercise is good for your health! Elevators or stairs? Deliberately visible and attractive, the staircases invite employees to hold the handrail and give preference to walking.
New career paths: quiet, moderate or active?
To boost productivity and make employee workflows more fluid, workstations are moving from the “quiet zone”, where employees can concentrate without being disturbed, to the “active zone”, where interconnections and exchanges are encouraged. Of course, this requires particular attention to sound insulation. Finally, custom-designed acoustic bubbles allow meetings of 2 to 4 people, without disturbing the others.
Natural light and unobstructed views
Working in natural light is essential for our mental and physical health. It has a powerful influence, and the figures show it: access to natural light and unobstructed views would reduce office absenteeism by 6% (source: Fabrique Spinoza, 2022). At Lab 157, views of the outdoors are enhanced and 100% of workstations are positioned on day 1. Ideal for working to the rhythm of nature as the day and seasons go by...
Biophilic design
Breathe, be inspired, get some fresh air, thanks first and foremost to access to planted outdoor spaces (10% of the total surface area), but also thanks to the choice of soft, enveloping colors inspired by nature (sandy beige, warm brown, navy blue, olive green, anthracite, powder pink) and the choice of natural materials (oak, wood, cork, raffia).
The Showroom, 80 m² dedicated to co-creation and experimentation
Getting products and customers talking is what Sanofi CHC wanted for Lab 157. With a role much bigger than its name suggests, the Showroom, located on the 3rd floor of the building, is a space dedicated exclusively to immersive experiences, for employees and consumers alike. Here, everything is modulable, movable, interchangeable. The layout, furniture and connected tools make it possible to see, touch and test products. Virtual reality room, a “Creative Room” with bleachers, beanbag chairs and Lintex boards for brainstorming.
1 in 2 alternative workstations is re-used; i.e., 47% of all seats.
