In the Parisian suburb of Clichy, a pair of buildings from the Haussmann period stand on two corners of a triangular site. Paris-based architects Brenac & Gonzalez et Associés were tasked by developer Ogic with densifying the site. They did this by designing a pair of office buildings, which complement and contrast with their 19th century neighbours.

“Both were designed using language inspired by industrial architecture,” says Brenac & Gonzalez architect Stefan Tuchila. Hence the grid layout of the large glazed facades, which bathe the workspaces in light. In material terms, this was translated with noble materials, including stone and metal.

“Then we made separate colour choices.” One, called The Factory, is black. The other, The Loft, is white. Put simply, the former is intended to stand out, while the latter is intended to blend in.

The pair stand on rue Madame de Sanzillon in Clichy, an industrial suburb that is rapidly changing thanks to the northern extension of Metro line 14.

This is a long, wide street, which means that The Factory and The Loft can be seen from afar. There are a lot of stone and stone-coloured buildings around from the 1980s and 1970s. “We felt this would integrate well,” Tuchila says of their design solution.

For The Loft, the architects chose classic light-coloured stone from Portugal, in order to create a dialogue with the existing buildings. They then searched for a colour that would work well with the pale stone for the metal window and door frames. “The metal is a bit darker because we didn’t want it to be exactly the same colour as the stone,” he explains, “It has the same kind of base, but is more saturated.” This is Axalta’s Quartz Glint from its ICONICA collection. In contrast, black stone and black-coated metal were used for The Factory.

Inside, Brenac & Gonzalez was responsible for the public spaces. In the entrance lobby, the same Portuguese stone is featured around the elevators. And the architects brought in Axalta’s Quartz Glint for all the door and window frames. This is an unusual approach for this kind of office, says Tuchila. “Typically, frames are white, but we wanted them to offer a slight contrast to the white walls. It gives a rhythm to the space, and makes it a lot more interesting.”

Thinking about the exteriors of buildings, “you’ll see colour before you see shape,” he says. “Sometimes, a building’s role is to stand out, for example it is intended as a signature building on a street or in an area. But usually, the building needs to be in context, whether that’s an urban context or nature. Then, it is about choosing colours and materials that help the building blend in.”