Originally built as a Jesuit college, this building has had many occupants over the years, each of whom adapted its spaces to suit their own needs without much architectural consideration. These shifting inner workings had left a building shell that remained coherent with the surrounding architecture – one still overseen by the Architectes des Bâtiments de France - but with an interior made up of disparate, uncoordinated spaces and levels. We decided to return to the building’s original qualities - those of a central Parisian building, but adapting it to modern ways of working and increasing its occupancy capacity. First of all, we dug up the courtyard in order to create an additional level with a glass roof, and created a landscape feature visible from around the building. At the upper level, we opened up one of the building’s floors to the Parisian skyline: a glass-walled mansard roof superimposed over the original creates a lens overlooking the rooftops and illuminates the upper floors. In addition, we also added new and innovative structures and features: for example, the Dany factory, furnished entirely using upcycled wood, creates a totally new atmosphere within the building.