The Air France engine preparation workshop in the CDG Airport technical zone

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The Air France engine preparation workshop in the CDG Airport technical zone (95)

Aircraft jet engine
At the heart of the building, an aircraft jet engine. The facility must allow for full-throttle testing of aircraft engines; the architecture must primarily mitigate the nuisances associated with these tests: very low-frequency sound emissions, gas, etc.
This unusual building is oriented according to prevailing winds. It is composed of three functional entities whose organization is dictated by the test cell and its detuner: a concrete block with walls nearly one meter thick, integrating the air intake, exhaust, and sound traps. Before reaching this part of the building where the actual test takes place, the engine passes through the “preparation” area, where it is received and prepared, then through the “support assembly,” an intermediate entity comprising the building’s reception, staff areas, offices, technical rooms, and the control room from which the test is managed.
  • Project owner
    Air France
  • Location
    Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle Airport, France
  • Date
    2012
  • Surface
    4,825 m²
  • Category
    Airport
  • Mission
    Full architectural and engineering services
  • Program
    Construction of a jet engine test bench. The facility must allow for full-throttle testing of aircraft engines
  • Partners
    SNC LAVALIN / IAC BOËT STOP SON / SLG Paysage / JFS Architectes

Architectural treatment

The architect’s intervention remains discreet on the test cell, where the architectural treatment is limited to the use of textured concrete and the removal of technical eyesores. Efforts are concentrated on the preparation workshop, where the emphasis has been placed on natural lighting provided by a large bay window, a patio, and a skylight.

The benefits of these various openings are manifold: providing employees with landscaped views to improve the working environment, facilitating visual communication between office and workshop staff, and making the engine processing workflow intelligible to ensure better control and smoother testing procedures. The project’s location on the eastern part of the plot will allow for future workshop expansion without interrupting ongoing activities.

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