Bouygues Bâtiment Industrie Launches Major Office Conversion with ‘Sky Center’ Near Paris
The office complex once occupied by the Up group (formerly Chèque Déjeuner) is about to get a new lease of life through a large-scale conversion project led by Bouygues Bâtiment Industrie. Commissioned by Blossom Asset Management on behalf of Tikehau Capital, this ambitious redevelopment will transform the 33,000-square-metre building into an innovative urban business park named Sky Center. Strategically located in Gennevilliers, just fifteen minutes from the heart of Paris, this project embodies the broader transformation dynamic currently reshaping the Île-de-France region and aims to generate meaningful local employment opportunities. Completion and delivery are planned for the second quarter of 2027.
An Innovative Response to Today’s Industrial and Urban Challenges
In today’s economic context, where the traditional office market is facing structural shifts and growing vacancy rates, repositioning vacant or underused office space has become a priority for developers and local authorities alike. At the same time, the shortage of available land in urban areas places further pressure on industrial and commercial development. Against this backdrop, Bouygues Bâtiment Industrie, supported by MW Architecture, has chosen a strategy of selective deconstruction and careful rebuilding to breathe new life into this former office complex.
Sky Center is designed to meet the modern needs of urban industry and mixed-use business activities. The project involves a major reconfiguration of the existing structure, combining flexibility, functionality, and sustainability. Once completed, the site will offer 33,000 square metres of modular industrial and office space distributed across four levels. To accommodate a variety of activities, the design includes generous ceiling heights—up to eight meters on the ground floor and seven meters on the upper levels—made possible by the partial demolition of certain floors.
To ensure smooth operations and efficient logistics, the redevelopment will integrate two ramps that provide direct vehicular access to all four levels. This design feature will be supported by a robust freight elevator system capable of handling heavy goods vehicles. These functional elements make Sky Center a rare example of an urban business park able to host industrial operations within close proximity to Paris.
Built with Sustainability and Circularity at Its Core
Beyond its functional design, Sky Center demonstrates Bouygues Bâtiment Industrie’s commitment to sustainable construction and resource efficiency. Environmental responsibility has been fully embedded into the project’s DNA, with ambitious goals for energy performance and reduced carbon impact throughout the building’s lifecycle. The project aims to achieve several demanding certifications, including BREEAM Excellent for sustainable construction, a Biodiversity label, and BBCA certification, which recognizes low-carbon buildings. Moreover, it anticipates the upcoming French tertiary decree’s targets for 2040, which will require buildings to cut their energy consumption by half.
A notable aspect of the redevelopment is its emphasis on the reuse of existing materials—a key principle of the circular economy. From the outset, the teams planned for the salvage and repurposing of as many building elements as possible. In concrete terms, 10,000 square metres of raised flooring and 3,000 square metres of façade materials will be reused. Additional elements such as carpets, metal structures, sanitary installations, plumbing fixtures, and ventilation systems will be recovered for reuse both on-site and at other construction sites managed by Bouygues Bâtiment Industrie. This strategy significantly reduces waste and helps cut the building’s embodied carbon footprint.
A New Hub for Local Economic and Social Development
Situated within the Louvresses mixed development zone (ZAC) on the banks of the Seine, in the northeastern part of Gennevilliers (Hauts-de-Seine), Sky Center benefits from excellent transport links and a vibrant local economic fabric. The site is ideally placed to attract businesses looking for flexible industrial or light manufacturing space close to Paris, while also aligning with the city’s goals for sustainable urban regeneration.
By converting a vacant office building into a productive, modern urban business hub, the project supports the reindustrialization of the area, the revitalization of local employment, and the emergence of new, more sustainable economic activities. It is a tangible example of how thoughtful urban redevelopment can respond to multiple contemporary challenges—supporting economic growth, advancing the ecological transition, and enhancing the resilience and vitality of the Île-de-France region.
Sky Center thus stands as a forward-looking model for transforming obsolete office stock into flexible, high-performance spaces that meet today’s industrial and environmental standards—paving the way for the urban business parks of tomorrow.
