Topaz

Total has chosen the École Polytechnique district in Palaiseau as the future location of its R&D and training centre, which is due to open in 2023. More than 400 people will work there.
 
By setting up the centre here, Total is disrupting the relationship between private and public research, betting that bringing in outside collaborators can generate new partnerships that will meet the challenges of a post-carbon world.
The building houses innovation and research programmes that require shared infrastructure and which benefit from being a part of the Saclay ecosystem. This facility will complement the research centres that already exist there.
 
The building’s proportions are modestly designed. Recalling the existing architecture, the building’s design fits into the urban landscape in a legible, coherent and natural way. Striving to avoid an austere style, it presents itself as a modest, open and engaging building.