Inaugurated on October 15, 2021, the Delta, Podeliha’s new headquarters, the leading social landlord in the Pays de la Loire region, has built a 6,400 m² building in the heart of Angers’ Cours Saint Laud business district. For this ambitious project, Rairies Montrieux worked for two and a half years with the architectural firm Rolland Associés. With its 1,500 square meters of cladding, this is the largest project ever undertaken by Rairies Montrieux in Angers.
Delta – Cabinet Rolland Associés ©Gaël Arnaud
A creative alliance
The collaboration between Rairies Montrieux and the architectural firm Rolland Associés was born of a prescription. Bruno Boisdron, business manager and specifier at Rairies Montrieux, explains: “As business manager and specifier, my role is to introduce our products to architects. Although they don’t always have projects underway, they contact us when they’re interested.”
The Frédéric Rolland firm, in particular Jérôme de Crozé, showed interest after discovering the façade products and visiting the factory in Les Rairies. They specified their requirements for the Delta project in terms of product, color and format, enabling this fruitful collaboration to take shape.
Jérôme de Crozé, the project’s architect, emphasizes the timeless qualities of terracotta clinker: “Terracotta clinker is a work of the hand and the craftsmen who lay the material. It’s about the art of good construction. Terracotta cladding is timeless, durable and stable. It’s one of those timeless materials, offering a wealth of creative possibilities.
Creating movement on the façade
Over the course of the project, the architects progressively refined the details of the facade through various phases, including sketches, preliminary studies (APS), detailed project studies (APD), as well as the submission of building permits and tender documents. To validate the choice of colors and shapes for the nameplates, prototypes were produced in the form of sample panels.
To create a dynamic facade, the architect first selected colors from the engobe range: a pure white called MontBlanc 17, and a pale gray called MontGris 4, while opting for the 330 format, adding a touch of modernity to the whole.
To enhance the facade, the architect chose Swallow cladding, whose slightly undulating texture creates a strategic visual effect under the window spandrels. “The swallow panel is an emblematic product in our range. The architectural firm wanted to integrate this effect into the same color palettes, MontBlanc 17 and MontGris 4, bringing a unique and elegant animation to the façade.”
Bruno Boisdron, sales manager and specifier at Rairies Montrieux
Finally, Moucharabieh bricks were added to the base of the façade, giving it a distinctive architectural character while partially concealing the offices on the first floor.
Moucharabieh bricks ©Gaël Arnaud
Natural materials in a short circuit
The Delta stands out for its exemplary carbon footprint. It complies with strict environmental standards, with a 50% reduction in RT 2012 standards, and was awarded the BBCA Excellence label right from the design phase.
This innovative project is based on the principles of the circular economy, favoring the use of natural materials in its construction. This approach has significantly reduced the use of traditional concrete and minimized waste production on site.
Jérôme de Crozé underlines the importance of this approach: “We were keen to promote short supply chains by using local materials. For us, terracotta was the obvious choice, synonymous with quality and authenticity, and particularly represented by Rairies Montrieux. Our visit to the factory in Les Rairies confirmed our decision, thanks to the ancestral artisanal techniques and the quality of the clay used.
Swallow leaflets ©Gaël Arnaud
