BNP Paribas Real Estate have unveiled CityLights, an office building in Boulogne-Billancourt. CityLights houses a total of 80,000m² of offices within a fully-refurbished and extended complex made up of three towers and 10 hexagonal petals, opposite Ile Seguin, on the tip of Pont de Sèvres, at the very heart of the Ile Seguin Rives de Seine district.
Designed by architect Dominique Perrault, this refurbishment by the Development teams of BNP Paribas Real Estate is based around a central 1,500m² windowed agora that draws together the different buildings.
“When we bought the land beneath the “Tours du Pont de Sèvres”, we were aware of the potential harboured by this group of buildings. For so many reasons it was clear to us that Citylights was a showcase project calling for one of the biggest rehabilitation schemes in France of recent years: it’s location at the entrance to the Capital and soon to be on the Grand Paris Express line; its situation at the heart of the Grand Paris Seine Ouest community, the second biggest service hub in Western Paris; and of course its place in a city that is breathing new life into its former industrial districts. We are proud to deliver to investors and occupiers this outstanding corporate campus with architecture and services worthy of the greatest new buildings in the capital,” said Philippe Zivkovic, chairman of the supervisory board at BNP Paribas Real Estate.
Leased to General Electric as well as to Solocal and sold to BNP Paribas Cardif (60%, ie CityLights 1 and CityLights 3) and to Gecina (40%, ie CityLights 2), this set of buildings offers its occupiers a conference facility, an intercompany nursery, a caretakers’ office, a fitness centre, five restaurant spaces together with modern office spaces.
CityLights is accessibile from a number of main roads, including the N118, as well as public transport connections with a metro station (line 9) at the foot of the building, 16 bus lines, the T1 tramway and soon the first station to be built on the Grand Paris Express lines.
As part of the revitalisation of the district, CityLights is also in keeping with an environmental initiative. It is certified HQE ‘Passeport Exceptionnel’, BREEAM ‘Excellent’, and with BBC certification.
“CityLights has proved to be a unique adventure for our Development teams. We have focused our experience and knowhow on the scheme for about six years. To design and furnish CityLights we worked with two internationally renowned professionals. The architect and urban planner Dominique Perrault brought magic back into the towers by giving them utterly distinctive façades and a new distribution around the base, which means its occupiers have a building that is open to its environment while preserving its privacy. The decorator and designer Didier Gomez has fitted out the service areas, preserving the harmony of the space while offering occupiers a genuine break from the office universe,” concluded Thierry Laroue-Pont, CEO of BNP Paribas Real Estate.
