Louis Pasteur Building Transformation into the Autonomy Research Center by Atelier Téqui Architects

The Louis Pasteur Building in Ivry-sur-Seine has undergone a major architectural transformation, reimagined by Atelier Téqui Architects as a pioneering Autonomy Research Center. Located within the historic Charles-Foix Hospital campus: originally established in 1873 as a “hospice for the incurable” designed by Théodore Labrouste: the renovated facility marks a significant step in healthcare innovation, rehabilitation research, and adaptive reuse architecture.

In 2024, the Public Assistance of Paris Hospitals (AP-HP) entrusted Sorbonne University with the upper floors of the former Pasteur building. The goal: to create France’s first research and experimentation center dedicated to autonomy in hospital environments. The result is a cutting-edge hub where clinicians, researchers, engineers, and patients collaborate in a living-lab setting to explore new solutions for mobility, independence, and everyday functionality.

Reimagining a 1960s Hospital Building

Originally constructed in 1964, the three-level structure featured a semi-buried pharmacy level, a ground floor with main street access, and an upper floor reached from the exterior. Its post-and-beam structural frame with brick infill offered flexibility, allowing the architects to reconfigure interior spaces while preserving the building’s load-bearing skeleton.

Atelier Téqui Architects undertook a full interior strip-out: removing partitions, cleaning the structure, and retaining only essential elements. Enlarged window openings increase natural light, clarity, and visual transparency throughout the building, enhancing both spatial comfort and clinical usability.

The façade underwent a substantial thermal upgrade. External insulation using glass wool is paired with a new Douglas fir cladding sourced from French forests. The false clerestory-style wooden façade, treated with a grey autoclave finish, ensures long-term durability while achieving the soft, naturally weathered appearance of aged timber.

Programmatic Layout: A Living Laboratory for Autonomy

Ground Floor: Immersive Patient Environments

The ground level serves as the primary interface for patients, users, and visiting clinicians. Designed to simulate real-world living scenarios, this floor includes:

• Full-scale domestic environments (home, bedroom, kitchen)
• A connected staircase for mobility assessments
• Walking test pathways
• Movement analysis platforms
• Doctor consultation rooms
• Logistics and administrative offices

These spaces allow individuals experiencing loss of autonomy to be assessed and trained in environments that replicate day-to-day activities. The goal is to test technology, evaluate mobility, and study rehabilitation strategies in realistic conditions.

A welcoming double-height entrance hall, wrapped in warm wood and visible from the upper circulation areas, creates an inviting first impression. Integrated wayfinding and a custom-built reception desk ensure clarity for all users.

Upper Level: Research, Collaboration, and Innovation

The top floor is dedicated to research professionals. Its flexible configuration supports evolving study needs and collaborative workflows. Key spaces include:

• A fabrication workshop (fablab) for prototyping devices
• Open-plan and enclosed workspaces
• Conference and meeting rooms
• Informal lounges and a generous communal area

The architects emphasized adaptability through movable partitions, open office concepts, and versatile layouts that can evolve with emerging research methodologies.

Materiality and Atmosphere

Wood plays a central role in shaping a warm, human-centered environment. Sycamore and beech: selected for their soft, slightly pink hues: appear throughout circulation areas, walls, and integrated furniture systems. On the upper floor, functional wooden walls conceal technical elements while providing built-in storage and refined interior aesthetics.

This use of natural materials not only improves thermal and acoustic comfort but also contributes to a reassuring atmosphere for patients navigating sensitive rehabilitation processes.

The transformation of the Louis Pasteur Building into the Autonomy Research Center represents a forward-thinking fusion of healthcare innovation, architectural sensitivity, and sustainable adaptive reuse. Atelier Téqui Architects successfully revitalized a mid-century structure into a technologically advanced environment that supports medical research, patient autonomy, and interdisciplinary collaboration, reinforcing the role of architecture as a catalyst for human wellbeing.

All photographs are works of Jean Baptiste Thiriet