Charles De Gaulle Airport, one of the world’s largest airports for traffic, has transformed several of its halls, with Hunter Douglas Architectural’s ceilings and wood wall cladding being used in two of them. Thanks to the design and technical expertise, Hunter Douglas met the extremely high requirements of the project brief, delivering first-class solutions.
Impressive transformations for enhanced airport hospitality
UK-based Skytrax voted Paris-Charles De Gaulle Airport as the best European airport for the quality of its customer-focused product and service offering. Karine Droit-Mijoule, Agency Relations Architect within the ADP Group, says:
“An airport is a living organism: its uses, the expectations of its users and the standards to which it is subject are constantly evolving. Its architecture is therefore constantly called into question.”
Following renovations at Halls L and K, two further halls at Terminal 2E also underwent a complete redesign. When the renovation studies for Hall L were launched in 2016, the objectives were clear: to improve the quality of the overall offer, which would increase customer satisfaction. Karine Droit-Mijoule explains:
“The aim was in fact to offer our customers a space that is more in line with new standards and with an overall vision for the next decade.”
The changes led to a significant transformation, with improved legibility of the route within the hall; decluttering of the boarding area; and enhancedpassenger experience. Hall L, Terminal 2E bears the ambitions of the ADP Group for airport hospitality. She adds,
“It was designed with a very specific goal: to create a unique space. Furthermore, the ADP Group regularly outsources projects to renowned designers to highlight some of its spaces.”
The work started in 2018. The commercial area of Hall K was completely renovated in 2016. Marc Angély, Director of Agency Relations and Interior Designer at ADP Group, says: “The desire was to develop and renew the offer. In addition, the image was outdated: it wasn’t connected to the luxury dealers the airport wanted to attract. Work was focused around redesigning the space and atmosphere to create a niche area for luxury brands such as Cartier, Hermès, Chanel, Dior, Tiffany or Gucci to express themselves in accordance with their own concepts.”
Solutions that meet aesthetic requirements
After three years of renovation work, Hall L, Terminal 2E has been completely revamped, with new furniture, floor, walls, lighting and ceiling.
The ceiling has undergone a dramatic change, from dark steel to white wooden planks. Designed and manufactured by Hunter Douglas, the new ceiling comprises 8,000m2 of solid wood grids, with matte white lacquer, which was selected from several white samples that were suggested by the manufacturer. Even though the slats are 50% open, scrolling gives the illusion of a closed ceiling when viewed from a distance. Beautifully complemented by a floor made of poured concrete with white marble aggregate, it makes the boarding area more visible. Karine Droit-Mijoule says: “Previously, this area was dark. In addition to the steel ceiling, the entire floor was covered by dark-coloured carpet. Now the combination of floor and ceiling creates a clear guideline.”
The wood wall is also testament to Hunter Douglas’s commitment to quality, with the installation of 1,000m2 of white, delineated and nanoperforated walnut wood planks with clear varnish, which have replaced mirrored walls. This is a “significant graphic design”, according to Marc Angély. To complement the new hall layouts, ceiling luminaries highlight the new elements – in addition to creating transverse lighting, they emphasise the guideline, while others highlight walls and harmonise different zones. This means they can avoid alternating light zones (LED screens and signs) and dark zones (walls without screens). For Karine Droit-Mijoule, the work has paid off:
“The whole atmosphere has been renewed: between the interior design and the new materials, we’ve given it a new glow.”
In Hall K, Hunter Douglas delivered 1,200m2 of slatted solid wood ceiling grid in white and brown. The slats are beautifully accentuated by wood veneer installed as a ribbed system. The manufacturer also supplied 650m2
of walnut wood wall cladding with nano perforations. Marc Angély explains, adding that the design is a success, with improved ambience:
“The ribbing system ends and accompanies the ceiling; this fixes it to the wooden cladding, which drapes the mall. Previously, the area was dimly lit; the metal ceiling was no longer up to standard. As regards the cladding, this is about achieving a perfect finish: a graphic game is created by the panels that are never the same, and this difference lends authenticity to the atmosphere and the material.”
Practical solutions to meet technical constraints
While aesthetics were paramount when choosing the new elements, practicality was also key. For both halls, a false ceiling had to be installed to allow easy access to the plenum, for safety and maintenance purposes. Karine Droit-Mijoule says:
“In Hall L, for example, the old suspended ceiling was made of steel grids and allowed access to the plenum. We favoured a new ceiling with a 50% opening, just like the old one. This is a necessity, especially for smoke extraction.”
For these projects, Hunter Douglas delivered solutions tailored to the existing technical constraints. Due to the strict deadlines and ongoing operation of the site, the manufacturer had to reuse the existing primary structure with a specific frame format, to support the new false ceiling in Hall L. The newly designed solution also solved a problem posed by the hatches used in the initial project. Karine Droit-Mijoule says,
“They were too heavy and therefore difficult to handle, so the challenge was to keep the hatches open and to lighten them.”
Hunter Douglas completed almost 2,500m2 of hatches, lined up in rows, that allow service technicians to complete their work. Olivier Tordjman, Key Account Manager at Hunter Douglas Architectural France, says:
“To achieve this, our engineers had to rework the frames of the usual hatches. In addition, we fitted cladding to the wooden grates on the hatches before delivery.”
Hatches were also installed in Hall K, to meet the challenges of demountability and access. The wall cladding was selected for its excellent acoustic properties, with nano-perforations that achieve a sound absorption value of 0.90 to 0.95. This was important, says Karine Droit-Mijoule, for acoustic comfort. She explains,
“In Hall L, although the transition from carpet to hard flooring has been made, the acoustic comfort has significantly improved.”
Marc Angély makes the same observation about Hall K:
“There was a need to ensure an excellent level of acoustic comfort, worthy of an interior space. The technology and ability of Hunter Douglas to address this issue has been extremely decisive in the choice of product.”
There was an additional challenge in Hall K because of the windows in the façades of the isthmus. Olivier Tordjman adds:
“It needed to be extremely precise to make cladding that could showcase the windows perfectly.”
Wood in the spotlight
For both projects, Hunter Douglas delivered wooden wall and ceilings. Wood has clear advantages, according to the ADP Group, because of its warmth and aesthetic appeal. Marc Angély says:
“It is a very enveloping material that makes sense in an interior and, historically speaking, the 2E Terminal has worked a lot with wood; we have a common thread with the use of walnut, a somewhat signature essence of the ADP Group, which is also used in Hall M.”
Wood also has excellent mechanical properties, including strength, says The Agency Relations Architect.
“We knew that the ceiling would be subject to several maintenance operations, which meant regular disassembly and reassembly. However, wood is a stronger material than aluminium, so there is no risk of deformation.”
Sustainability is also important, says Karine Droit-Mijoule:
“This is the big challenge of RE2020. We have taken all of this very seriously for several years, but it is a fact that the environmental issue is becoming increasingly significant.”
Marc Angély confirms:
“The ADP Group’s ambition is a 2050 carbon-neutral target. Environmental standards, in the processing of veneers, glues, etc, all play a role. Our suppliers must therefore offer suitable solutions.”
Hunter Douglas Architectural – quality service and offering
For both architects, supporting Hunter Douglas on these projects was important. Karine Droit-Mijoule explains:
“The close collaboration with Hunter Douglas has allowed us to visualise not only the aesthetics, but also the technical aspects via prototypes and samples. This enabled us to confirm our choice very quickly.”
Marc Angély agrees:
“The collaboration has been extremely successful as Hunter Douglas has enabled us to meet our quality ambitions. We had the opportunity to choose what was right for us.”
The manufacturer organised a visit to The Netherlands, allowing the designer to select from different lots. Hunter Douglas’s expertise was also an important consideration for Karine Droit-Mijoule and Marc Angély. The interior designer explains:
“With the product range, we were able to find solutions and create interior fittings and ambiences of the highest quality.”
For the façade in particular, Hunter Douglas developed a product that helped to overcome the designer’s fears:
“Being virtually invisible, nano-perforation does not compromise the authenticity of the wood, of the grain. I was very satisfied with all of this.”
Karine Droit-Mijoule’s choice was based on the quality of the products in Hall K:
“The positive feedback from the project with Hunter Douglas developed in this hall has led to the same product range, even though the concepts were different.”
The manufacturer’s ability to offer solutions to technical problems is also greatly appreciated. Marc Angély adds,
“There is real technical expertise that deserves to be welcomed.”
By supplying wooden ceiling and wall systems for Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, Hunter Douglas Architectural demonstrates again its ability to design and manufacture solutions to meet the most stringent requirements. For Marc Angély and Karine Droit-Mijoule, the Hunter Douglas projects were a success. Marc Angély says:
“For Customer Management, Hall K at Terminal 2E is the benchmark for quality. Luis Vuitton has just set up a shop here; the first one at an ADP Group airport. This is proof of the success of this project and the quality it conveys.”
Karine Droit-Mijoule adds:
“The result for both projects is fully in line with the qualitative challenges we expected.”