d+a | Issue 126 • 2022

36 design and architecture #126 commercial Michelin’s renovated reception area helps the French company to better connect with its environment, the city of Clermont-Ferrand and the world. Text by Michele Koh Morollo Photography by Cyrus Cornut and Nicholas Trouillard driving intoanewera Michelin’s revived headquarters is a cornerstone of the urban regeneration of the historic Place des Carmes in the city of Clermont- Ferrand. (Facing page) The facade is composed of 160-metre-tall arches. Paris-based architectural firm Encore Heureux has completed The Canopy – the revamped reception area for French tyre manufacturer Michelin’s headquarter building in Place des Carmes. A historic square in the small city of Clermont- Ferrand in France’s southeast-central Auvergne- Rhône-Alpes region, Place des Carmes – the site of Michelin’s headquarters since 1989 – had recently been revived, and the redesigned Michelin headquarters is a cornerstone of its urban regeneration. heart of the city In 2015, Michelin held an architectural competition requesting a proposal for a reception area renovation that would help the brand create a new and more contemporary identity, while also providing the city of Clermont-Ferrand with green, beautiful, and socially engaging public spaces. Encore Heureux’s winning design was conceived with the aim of preserving as much of the existing structure as possible while introducing a new façade