Pathé Capucines is an old cinema complex in the heart of Paris, just a few hundred metres from the Garnier Opera House. The developer "Les Cinémas Gaumont Pathé" had the rare opportunity to redevelop the property in the heart of Paris through a land association. New cinemas and offices for the future headquarters of Pathé are being built.
The plans by Renzo Piano Building Workshop Paris envisaged a complete gutting of the building. The storefronts, whose heterogeneous structure had disturbed the overall impression of the facade, were modified in order to restore the facade to its original order. The new facade creates a visual permeability to the rear of the property and opens the building up to the city. It invites visitors to enter the large glass atrium: "La Piazza", a square inside the ensemble. The central element in this 300 m² space is a cone of glass and light, which Gartner was commissioned to create.
The interior facade of the 29 m tall atrium, which covers almost 1,200 m², is made of glass and steel. The mullions and transoms that hold the glass panes, some of which are curved, are attached to a secondary structure made of brightly painted steel. The static chords of the suspended construction are also designed as lightweight steel elements in a light colour. The upper part of the atrium is equipped with mechanical smoke extractors.