Maisons Lacin Head Office

The Maisons Lacin head office moved to new premises in Béziers, France. This individual house construction company operating in the Hérault and Aude regions selected a site beside the town’s ring road which offered great exposure.

Construction started in late 2017 and lasted 10 months. The building covers 1000m² and houses the Maisons Lacin showroom and administrative offices.

Acting as a company ambassador, the head office building’s construction needed to reflect Maisons Lacin’s values and expertise. The client tackled the project with courage and ambition in order to stand out from its direct competitors. The chosen design was a fluid, airy building unlike any of its neighbours. This surprising building is a symbol of the company’s expertise, both in terms of quality of finish and the approach to the planned style.

The initial request was to create ribbons wrapping around the building, starting with a cascade. The architect then designed the ‘Waves” to arouse curiosity and showcase the building. They wrap around all of the glazed surfaces, filter the natural light and create interplays with the spaces. These waves are the building’s skin. They are what you see, what you remember and what give the building its meaning. They express the company’s flexibility and versatility; in short, its character. This head office creates a new image of how technology can be used to bring dreams to life through an organic approach.

A material had to be found that offered the best fit in all aspects: aesthetics, sturdiness and durability. The choice was made to use Avonite^Ò, as this acrylic stone met all the necessary criteria for such a significant building. Mr Lacin contacted LCCA, the exclusive retailer and installer of Avonite^Ò in France, who took care of performing feasibility studies. The company loved this unusual, deliberate architectural choice because of its surprising, innovative nature which was unlike any other in the region.

Many technical points had to be reviewed for the ‘Waves’ installation: maintaining an outdoor view from the interior while paying attention to doors, windows, acroteria, cantilevered concrete slabs and building height. It was also crucial to preserve an aspect of lightness, despite the wind exposure and building gap restrictions. The most important challenge to overcome was designing the parts and special mounts to hold the large cantilever slabs and curved thermoformed parts.

Significantly, thanks to the the Right Size Program developed by Avonite^Ò, LCCA was able to choose from the 18 sheet sizes available in order to use the most suitable one. This considerably reduced the offcut rate to under 5%, delivering better value for money and minimising the environmental impact.