With its new timber-built headquarters, Le Bois Lilas, French company Groupe Lamotte is pursuing resource-efficient property development. Located near a forest, the office building has achieved Silver certification under the WELL Building Standard and combines green roof gardens and tree-lined terraces with intelligent sun shading.

While the greenery improves the microclimate, automatically controlled WAREMA external venetian blinds regulate incoming daylight, reduce glare and solar heat gain in summer, and help make the workplace more comfortable.

The Hérault Arnod architecture practice won the design competition in 2019. Architect Isabel Hérault divided the 106-metre-long structure into sections of varying heights, rising to seven storeys.

The stepped architecture creates space for terraces and roof gardens with a total of 1,000 square metres of greenery, strengthening the connection between indoor and outdoor spaces.

Large glazed facades and horizontal bands of windows bring plenty of daylight into the building. Setbacks, loggias and greenery add variety to its appearance.

The external sun shading was integrated into the facade design at an early stage. The project uses 101 automatically controlled WAREMA external venetian blinds E80A6Z units with the Red Dot award-winning Zetra slat. Their space-saving design, concealed guide rails and custom “Pearl Copper” finish allow them to blend discreetly into the corrugated metal facade.

The slats provide glare protection while maintaining a clear view outside, reduce solar heat gain and direct natural daylight into workspaces even when the blinds are lowered.

Alongside nature-inspired architecture, the focus was on healthy interiors and a high level of workplace comfort. A dedicated conference floor supports flexible ways of working, while green outdoor areas encourage interaction and relaxation.

In recognition of its occupant-focused design, the building received Silver certification under the WELL Building Standard.

The external sun shading contributes to pleasant working conditions by making use of daylight, reducing glare and providing thermal comfort.

The WAREMA external venetian blinds are controlled automatically for each window and can also be operated manually using WMS wall transmitters. The bidirectional WMS mesh network supports reliable operation.

Although the Zetra slats can withstand wind speeds of up to 80 km/h, a WMS weather station moves the blinds into a protective position under high wind loads.

The control system adjusts the sun shading to the position of the sun and the lighting conditions, allowing daylight to be used as needed.

• Project: Le Bois Lilas
• Location: 12–14 Rue Alek Plunian, 35136 Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande, France
• Use: Office and commercial building
• Client: Lamotte Promoteur Immobilier – Rennes, France
• Architecture: Hérault Arnod Architectures, Pantin, France
• Timber construction: Briand Bois, Verrières-en-Anjou, France
• Completion: 2024
• Certifications: BREEAM Excellent, BBC Effinergie 2017, BiodiverCity, WELL Building Standard International Silver
• Awards: Trophy in the “Immobilier d’entreprise” category at the FPI Pyramides d’Argent 2022 (Brittany region); Innovapresse “Prix Végétalisation/Tertiaire”

Products:

• 101 E80A6Z external venetian blinds with guide rails and Zetra 80 Z slats, custom colour RAL 8029 Pearl Copper matt
• WMS wireless control with WMS basic wall transmitters and
• WMS weather station plus