Facette Bordeaux Workspace by Studioninedots: A Flexible, Green, and Community-Centered Workplace for the Future

Facette Bordeaux Workspace by Studioninedots emerges as a defining architectural landmark in the new Belvédère district of Bordeaux. Designed in 2024, this 5,200 m² mixed-use office complex responds to the rapid evolution of contemporary work culture: where flexibility, collaboration, and community are no longer optional but essential. The workspace reimagines how architecture can support new working modes by creating interconnected environments that blur the boundaries between office, public space, and landscape.

Located prominently on Boulevard Joliot-Curie, the project embraces openness and transparency to foster interaction at every level. Studioninedots crafted Facette as a dynamic workplace built around collective spaces, sustainable design strategies, and future-proof spatial flexibility. Its architecture champions social cohesion through a layered sequence of shared environments stretching from the ground level to the landscaped rooftop terrace.

A Transparent Ground Floor That Connects City and Workspace

The prime corner site inspired the architects to design a fully transparent ground floor, an open and accessible interface where the building meets the city. This porous base allows public space to flow directly into the interior, creating a lively threshold that invites users, visitors, and passersby. The visual lightness gives the impression that the upper volumes float above a slender podium, maximizing space for circulation and shared activity.

A defining feature of this level is the bold concrete arches that anchor the façade. These sculptural forms express the creative intent of Studioninedots while framing the building’s “WeSpace”: an adaptable communal zone for working, meeting, socializing, and relaxing. By merging workplace functions with civic engagement, Facette introduces a human-centered approach to office architecture in Bordeaux.

Integration with a Pocket Park and Neighboring Buildings

The ground floor’s expansive glazing extends the interior into an adjacent pocket park, a green communal zone shared with the nearby ARK building. This landscape serves as an outdoor retreat for informal gatherings, quiet breaks, and cross-building interaction. Its soft, planted environment contrasts the busy boulevard and enhances the site’s social and biophilic character.

Vertical Garden and Climate-Responsive Façade Design

One of Facette’s most distinctive architectural strategies is the introduction of a vertical garden rising from the pocket park. This multi-level green façade is connected by outdoor staircases and accessible terraces, offering shaded areas for relaxation and natural ventilation throughout the day.

Extending across the full width of the building, the vertical garden provides passive cooling that responds to Bordeaux’s warm climate. At the top, the system unfolds into a landscaped collective rooftop with expansive views of the city. These green outdoor rooms not only enhance the user experience but also contribute significantly to urban sustainability.

The combined effect of green roofs and planted façades helps reduce air pollution, lower the urban heat island effect, improve humidity levels, and support stormwater management. Rainwater captured on the roof is directed through the pocket park, reinforcing the project’s ecological value.

A Flexible Structure Prepared for Future Adaptation

Studioninedots prioritized adaptability to ensure the building can shift with evolving workplace models. By using a prefabricated, load-bearing façade system and relocating one of the required staircases to the exterior, the architects minimized the building’s core. This decision unlocked wide, column-free floor plates that can be reconfigured easily for future tenants, alternative programs, or entirely new functions.

The façades follow a rhythmic grid that unifies the building visually. Window openings gradually widen as they ascend, capturing more daylight and framing panoramic views of Bordeaux. The sand-colored pigmented concrete subtly echoes the region’s traditional stone architecture while providing a contemporary, durable interpretation of local materiality.

Facette Bordeaux Workspace stands as a model of future-ready office architecture: sustainable, transparent, flexible, and socially engaging. With its integration of public space, vertical gardens, adaptable interiors, and community-oriented design, the project sets a new standard for mixed-use workplaces in Europe’s growing urban districts.

All photographs are works of Fabrice Fouillet