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HIMACS: Beneteau’s facade

When HIMACS becomes art

Located in Givrand (Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie area), BENETEAU’s (a major sailing boat, yacht and motorboat manufacturer) headquarters has an original façade designed using HIMACS new generation acrylic stone. With thermoformable, multipurpose, ultra-resistant and non-porous properties, HIMACS proved to be the perfect material for the project.

The head of the company PAD, made up of 14 employees, Frédéric Périot, a licensed architect graduated from the School of Architecture in Nantes, France, takes a fresh look at incorporating buildings into their environment. He created the project’s initial design. By integrating a perforated mesh-like façade into his design, Périot knew exactly how to stand out from the other four short-listed companies selected by BENETEAU. The project had many requirements, including the challenge of designing a work in an open space in order to create a building which is fully exposed to natural sunlight. The world’s leading sailing yacht manufacturer relied on PAD for this project, which consists of two different buildings separated by a patio and connected by a glass gallery.

Wanting to follow the original design as closely as possible, BERI 21, the project manager and in-house general contractor for BENETEAU, started to look for different materials used in other façades while the structure was being designed. After discovering HIMACS material in a sailing yacht shower room (there is no coincidence here), the company quickly contacted HIMACS. Although HIMACS material was an obvious solution, it was officially selected only after its fastening system was tested and approved.

The main southern facing façade with the mesh-like design is built in HIMACS and identifies BENETEAU headquarters. Thanks to the adaptability and excellent thermoformability of this new generation acrylic stone, BERI 21 was able to create this remarkable work. The material was installed by MCS company teams. HIMACS is the first Solid Surface on the market to have been granted European Technical Approval and the ideal material for all different types of structures.

HIMACS was chosen because it helps regulate the façade which is exposed to large amounts of sunlight and reduce high levels of energy due to radiation thanks to its perforated material. Its random mesh-like design represents BENETEAU’s logo and its irregular perforated pattern gives the impression that the façade is moving, like a wave coming to cover and protect the building.

 

 

Location Givrand (Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie area), France
Architecture & Design PAD Architectes for BERI 21
Material used HI-MACS ® Alpine White
Fabrication LCCA
Photo Credit Mathieu Ducros©
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