11/03 2019

KAAN Architecten opens new Paris office

The launch of the Parisian office marks another milestone in the growing international presence of KAAN Architecten which, alongside the Rotterdam headquarters, includes a second outpost opened in 2015 in São Paulo, Brazil.

KAAN Architecten already has a firm footing in France after completing three projects in the country in recent years. The firm’s French oeuvre includes residential projects in Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande near Rennes and the Rives de la Haute Deûle area in Lille, as well as the highly lauded Institut des Sciences Moléculaires located within the Paris-Saclay Campus, in Orsay.

featured image: Cité des Métiers et de l’Artisanat ©Fernando Guerra FG+SG | left: Saint-Jacques-de-la-Lande ©Christian Richters | right: Rives de la Haute Deûle ©Sebastian van Damme

The office has also participated in ambitious international studies such as the competition for the new Gare d’Austerlitz in Paris and the CHU hospital campus and research institute in Nantes.

Several other projects in France are due for completion this year, like the Cité des Métiers et de l’Artisanat in Lille, designed in collaboration with Pranlas-Descours Architect & Associates. Additionally, two large mixed-use complexes are in the final phase of construction: one close to EuraTechnologies area in Lille, the other in the ZAC Bottière-Chénaie in Nantes. Meanwhile, an office complex in Aubervilliers, Paris, is currently in design stage. Once completed, it is set to revitalize the former logistics area at the borders of Paris.

Institut des Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay ©Fernando Guerra FG+SG

Led by architect Marylène Gallon, the new Parisian office will continue the multidisciplinary design approach set out by the Dutch headquarters. Furthermore, it will reinforce the presence of KAAN Architecten within France, developing relationships with both new and established clients and partners. Using research, innovation and technical expertise acquired in projects of varying scale, the firm intends to deliver creative, yet context-specific solutions fit for contemporary use by both public and private clients in France.

Ilot 13 ©Sebastian van Damme

ZAC Bottière-Chénaie ©JF Molliere