AG Real Estate France is continuing the transformation of M62, a six-story, 5,246 m² office building dating from the interwar period, located at 62 rue Marcadet in Paris’s 18th arrondissement. Designed by Chevalier + Guillemot Architecture and delivered by GA Smart Building, the project involves a major refurbishment that reveals the building’s existing structural qualities while adapting it to new uses and environmental ambitions.
With the original concrete structure preserved, an enlarged atrium, reconfigured vertical circulation, and retained steel-framed windows, the project embraces a technical, heritage-conscious, and architectural approach. The defining feature of the refurbishment is the preservation, stripping back, and exposure of the building’s original concrete frame, whose monumental character becomes the foundation of the new architectural identity.
The project also embraces the building’s successive layers of history, including repairs and variations in materials accumulated over time, rather than concealing them. This honest reading of the existing structure forms the identity of M62 and gives the project its distinctive character.
At the heart of the redevelopment, the atrium has undergone significant structural modification. Enlarged from 7 x 8 meters to 11 x 12 meters, it redefines circulation throughout the building, bringing more natural light into its core and organizing the entire structure around walkways and a monumental staircase. This transformation was accompanied by major interventions to the building’s cores, including the renovation of one staircase, the creation of another, and the partial demolition and relocation of vertical circulation elements, ensuring compliance with current regulations, particularly those related to public access buildings (ERP) and fire safety.
The building also stands out for the attention given to construction details. The guiding principle was to preserve as many original features as possible that contribute to the building’s character, including the slender external joinery and historic steel frames, which were retained instead of being replaced with more conventional aluminum systems. This commitment is reflected throughout the interior spaces, where exposed beams, varying ceiling heights, and the raw materiality of the structure become integral elements of the architectural design.
With M62, we sought to restore a sense of balance between the building’s construction history and the uses it is now intended to accommodate. The challenge was to bring coherence back to the whole while embracing the diversity of periods, materials, and traces left by the building’s different lives. In our view, it is this tension between permanence and adaptation that gives the project its unique character.
The project’s environmental strategy is reflected in the decision to preserve most of the existing structure and building envelope, significantly reducing the development’s carbon footprint. The project is targeting BREEAM Excellent certification, WiredScore Gold certification, and the OSMOZ label.
It also incorporates a range of circular economy and sustainability measures, including the reuse of certain components—particularly lighting systems—enhanced rooftop landscaping, and expanded facilities for active mobility, in line with the objectives of Paris’s Bioclimatic Local Urban Plan (PLU).
Moreover, the refurbishment of the existing building is expected to save approximately 150 kg CO₂e/m² compared with a newly constructed building compliant with RE2020 standards.
M62 perfectly illustrates our approach to high-potential existing assets: preserving what defines their identity, revealing their inherent construction qualities, and managing their transformation with the highest standards of excellence. AG Real Estate France has extensive experience delivering complex projects in dense urban environments, such as My Little Nation and 24Sentier, where the management of interfaces and construction constraints is critical. In this context, our long-standing partnership with GA Smart Building is a real asset. We share the same commitment to execution excellence, a common culture of complex project delivery, and a proven ability to successfully advance ambitious developments together.
M62 is a very tangible example of our expertise in renovation and refurbishment. We are working here on an existing building in the heart of the city, involving major structural interventions within a demanding regulatory environment. This type of project requires a high level of technical precision, flexibility in execution, and strong coordination among all project stakeholders. The refurbishment also demonstrates our ability to support value-add investors such as AG Real Estate France with competitive and flexible solutions—an organization that has placed its trust in us for many years.
Project completion is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026.
TECHNICAL DATA SHEET
- Project Name: M62
- Project Type: Major refurbishment of an existing office building.
- Address: 62 rue Marcadet, 75018 Paris, France.
- Client / Developer: AG Real Estate France.
- General Contractor: GA Smart Building.
- Building Services Contractor: Klymeo.
- Floor Area: 5,246 m² – six-story office building (Ground Floor + 6 Upper Floors).
- Existing Asset: An interwar-period building representative of functionalist architecture.
- Architect for the Original Planning Permission: François Larroche.
- Architect for the Modified Planning Permission: Chevalier + Guillemot Architecture.
- Interior Architecture: Antoine Ricardou – Ateliers Saint-Lazare.
- Target Certifications and Labels: BREEAM Excellent, WiredScore Gold, and the OSMOZ label.
Contact
Amandine Guillaume
Director of Communications & Marketing
