This article was taken from the May 2015 issue of WIRED magazine. Be the first to read WIRED's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Stretching across the roof of the new engineering campus at the French Institute of Science and Technology is a green idyll. Designed by Pargade Architectes, the Espace Bienvenue building in Marne-la-Vallée, near Paris, features a 200m rippling concrete roof. "Our aim was a continuous garden," says founder and lead architect Jean-Philippe Pargade, 68. "It contrasts with the flatness of the site -- it is like a tectonic upheaval."
The biggest challenge for Pargade Architectes was engineering the slopes of the roof. "We wanted a perfectly curved wave," says Pargade. Transverse 4m x 20cm steel beams provide support and create the wave's shape. The finished roof was cast from 55,000m<sup>3</sup> of concrete, laid over eight months in 500m<sup>2</sup> stages to avoid cracking. The planted garden area combines lawns and vegetable plots designed by landscape designer David Besson-Girard.
Fittingly, the building houses a concrete-testing lab. "It tests the reaction of new concretes to certain constraints," says Pargade. In addition to the roof, the building's face is positioned to absorb maximum sunlight, while natural ventilation and a rainwater harvesting system help to reduce its environmental impact. "It is set to become one of the world's largest centres for addressing the issues of urban cities," he says.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
