SAINT-GERMAIN-EN-LAYE - FRANCE
THE COMPETITION
A 20,000 m2 technology and university campus located in Saint-Germain-en-Laye (France), labelled “Territoire d'Industrie” and “Grand Lieu d'Innovation” since 2019, iXcampus is a unique place of exchange between the worlds of business, research and higher education in the fields of impact deep tech.
Built around the flagship site of iXblue, a French high-tech company, world leader in the fields of navigation, photonics and maritime technology, the campus will also house, since 2020, 15 innovative start-ups and SMEs as well as two CY Cergy Paris University courses (CY Tech and CY School of Design), representing 400 researchers, engineers and technicians as well as 160 students. With a unique range of services including a restaurant, a 1200 m2 sports centre, a conference centre and a 400 m2 Fab Lab, iXcampus has become in less than two years a centre of attraction and excellence in innovation within the fields of deep tech and design.
Today iXcampus is taking on a new challenge: to double the surface area of the campus in order to accommodate 1,200 students and 900 employees in 2025.
The challenge will be to build sustainable and reversible buildings aiming at carbon neutrality, taking advantage of their occupation to move towards zero consumption, and generating a positive impact on their environment and the biodiversity of the site.
SHORTLISTED TEAMS
the 3 teams selected for the competition
WINNING PROJECT
2 FINALIST PROJECTS
Interview of the iXcampus Managing Director
€ 40,000,000
estimated envelope
16,000 sqm
surface to create
REGULATIONS
download the competition's regulations here :
environnement at the heart of the project
The transformation of the campus should be integrated into its natural surroundings and minimise its impact on them. To achieve this, the project will have to be ingenious in order to meet the following requirements:
cross-fertilization for innovation
Through executive education and design-based incubation programmes, iXcampus fosters open innovation and creates the conditions for the development of impactful technological solutions to environmental and societal challenges.
The method: building bridges between ideas, talents and resources. Anchored in and open to the city, the campus is part of its history and responds to the challenges of its territory. iXcampus offers a living experience and a demonstrator of positive impact innovation. The campus is also moving towards a sustainable management model in terms of procurement, building sustainability, energy consumption and waste management.
The project must therefore respond to multiple challenges:
a place filled with history
The 7-hectare project site bears witness to a history that began at the end of the 19th century and whose buildings, with their highly distinctive identities, reflect the different eras that have followed.
Built between 1884 and 1886 by the architect Léon Carle for the wealthy industrialist Charles Sieber, the Château Saint-Léger has become the symbol of the current iXcampus site.
In 1946, the Institut de Recherche de la Sidérurgie (IRSID) acquired the estate and set up its research centre there. In the early 1950s, this new vocation led to the construction of a group of buildings, many of which were designed by Jean Prouvé, such as the very airy Grand Escalier serving all floors of the main building.
In 1988, Dominique Perrault was commissioned to design an ambitious restructuring of the château. After three years of major renovation and underground extension work, the project led to the creation of a 200-seat conference centre and the installation of a glass slab, the only element visible from the outside, giving it a contemporary dimension.
In 2016, iXblue arrived on the Saint-Germain-en-Laye site with the establishment of a research centre and its head office in the existing buildings. Since then, the company has created iXcampus and undertaken a vast renovation and modernisation project, creating a restaurant and a sports centre.
PROGRAMME
The iXcampus project is part of a university development plan for the area, orchestrated by Saint-Germain-en-Laye city and CY Cergy Paris Université, with the aim of welcoming 6,000 students, including those from Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Sup de Vente and the INSPE. By 2024, in addition to the outdoor facilities that will give the campus a real identity, and an underground car park with 300 spaces to park all the vehicles on the site, iXcampus plans to construct two new buildings and to raise an existing building:
The Northern Building - 12,000sqm
Inserted between the recently renovated 1950s building to the south and the wooded area along the RN13 to the north, the building will include 1500m² of startup incubator, 4000m² of business incubator, a 500m² digital FabLab, 1200m² of restaurant, and 4500m² dedicated to a higher education establishment. These different programmatic entities will have to interact with each other by eliminating their borders to optimise human interaction. The building must be a breeding ground for synergies between companies, start-ups and students. In this respect, it is essential that the building be scalable and allow for the adaptation of spaces as the occupants change.
The Eastern building - 3,000sqm
Located on the eastern tip of the site, between the RN13 and Rue de la Croix de Fer, this building of approximately 3000m² will be delivered as a bare plateau and will be able to accommodate one or more higher education and research establishments. It will be designed to function independently and ensure a certain permeability with the campus.
The raisings - 1,000sqm
Building A, the former headquarters of the Ford company, was recently renovated and now houses a 4,000m² business incubator as well as classes for the CY tech university in Cergy. The two east and west wings of the building are to be raised in order to extend the capacity of the incubator and to create the offices of iXcampus.
Positioning of the buildings to be constructed on the Campus
pre-registration
Click on download regulation and fill out your email. You will receive the registration process details in your inbox.
portfolio
Create or complete your portfolio on BAM. A portfolio will have to be created for each member of the team (Architect, Landscape designer, Design Office, etc.) A maximum number of 6 projects (of which 2 may have not been executed) will be considered for each firm.
candidature
Finalize your application via the application form. Only one cover letter is required for the entire team.
general information
teams' selection
registration fees
eligibility criteria
(2022)
competition
January 31st, 2022 - registration deadline
April 15th, 2022 - project submission deadline
April 2022 - winner announcement
studies & works
Late May 2022 - submission of the building permit file
December 31st, 2023 - delivery of the first phase of work
to consult the faq and ask questions
program
The iXcampus project is part of a university development process for the area, orchestrated by the city and CY Cergy Paris Université, with the aim of welcoming 6,000 students, including those from Sciences Po Saint-Germain-en-Laye and the Lycées International et Horticole. By 2024, in addition to the outdoor facilities that will give the campus a real identity, and a 5,000sqm underground parking lot to accommodate all the vehicles on the site, iXcampus plans to build two new buildings and raise an existing building:
The Northern Building - 12,000sqm
Inserted between the recently renovated 1950s building to the south and the wooded area along the RN13 to the north, the 12,000sqm building will include 1,500sqm of incubator space, 4,000sqm of business incubator space, a 500sqm digital FabLab, 1,200sqm of restaurant space, and 4,500sqm of space dedicated to a higher education institution.
These different programmatic entities will have to interact with each other by eliminating their borders to optimize human interaction. The building must be the breeding ground for synergies between companies, startups and students. As such, it is essential that it be scalable and allow for the adaptation of spaces as the occupants change.
The Eastern building - 3,000sqm
Located on the eastern tip of the site, between the RN13 and Rue de la Croix de Fer, this building of approximately 3000m² will be delivered as a bare plateau and will be able to accommodate one or more higher education and research establishments. It will be designed to function independently and ensure a certain permeability with the campus.
The extensions - 1,000sqm
Building A, the former headquarters of the Ford company, was recently renovated and now houses a 4,000m² business incubator as well as classes for the CY tech university in Cergy. The two east and west wings of the building are to be raised in order to extend the capacity of the incubator and to create the offices of iXcampus.
3 FINALIST PROJECTS
WINNING PROJECT
KARAWITZ ARCHITECTURE
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