PARISIAN UNIVERSITY BUILT WITH 50 PERCENT NATURAL MATERIALS

The University of Chicago John W. Boyer Center was designed by architecture firm Studio Gang in accordance with the French sustainability law requiring new public buildings to be built from at least 50 percent wood or other natural materials. Aligned with president Emmanuel Macron's goal for France to be carbon-neutral by 2050, the law was implemented in 2022 and set out to reduce the carbon impact of buildings. It prioritises low-carbon bio-based materials such as wood, hemp and straw over other construction materials like concrete and steel.

Once complete, the Paris-based University of Chicago centre will have a lightweight hybrid structure made from mass timber set atop a steel ground floor structure that spans across an existing concrete grid. Located in Paris Rive Gauche in the city's 13th arrondissement, the building's external facades will be decorated with fibreglass batons coated in Lutetian limestone.

According to Studio Gang design principal Rodia Valladares, the building's carbon footprint was minimised by implementing multiple environmental strategies, including passive ventilation and lighting. "In addition to using less-carbon-intensive materials for the structure and facade, the building also optimises its energy performance by using the district energy system and providing abundant natural ventilation and access to daylight," he explained.

Designed in collaboration with local architecture studio Parc Architectes, the centre is an expansion of the existing University of Chicago Paris campus and has tripled its size to facilitate increasing study and research needs by faculty and students. The building connects with the surrounding neighbourhood and provides a vibrant academic space for students. "Inside, the building is organised as a vertical campus that creates dynamic visual and physical connections between programs to foster different kinds of exchange – academic, cultural, social – between students, faculty, visitors, and Parisians," said Valladares.

The centre will contain an amphitheatre, library, laboratory classrooms, biodiverse roof gardens and a double-height hall on the top floor. A central garden courtyard will let in natural light and ventilation to the building, and provide green space for people to study and socialise. Creating an animated facade, the stone batons wrapping the exterior will be spaced wider apart in front of windows to give views of the interior spaces from the street.

Images by Splann courtesy of Studio Gang