When Hérault Arnod Architectes entered the competition to build a new Rossignol headquarters in the French village of Saint-Jean-de-Moirans, Isabel Hérault and Yves Arnod-personal and professional partners-were sure about one thing: They weren't going to design a standard office building. "It seemed necessary to come up with something very strong in terms of identity," Hérault says. "After all, we were dealing with a mythical brand, more or less part of the French national heritage."
Rossignol's brand may have been strong, but logistics had become unwieldy over the decades as divisions developed in multiple sites. "Eventually, it was really complicated for teams to work together," Arnod says. Thus the decision to find a shared location for administrative and manufacturing employees involved with professional racing skis.
The brief didn't necessarily call for everyone to be under the same roof. For Hérault and Arnod, however, any other arrangement seemed unimaginable. "Everything that goes on in the company is a direct consequence of making skis. It would have been absurd to have a beautiful building for the headquarters and a shed next door for the factory," Arnod says.
Besides accommodating two different functions, the building would have to address the chosen location's distinct pluses and minuses. The 15-acre plot is right next to the Lyon-Grenoble highway; a tollbooth is just 100 yards away. Still, there are spectacular alpine views on either side. As inspiration for the form of the building, Hérault and Arnod looked no further than those summits and slopes. The architects also envisioned something organic and radical that would conjure up the fluid movement of skiing. The final shape also closely resembles the outstretched wings of a bird.
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