14 RUE ROYALE, HISTORICAL ADDRESS OF L’ORÉAL GROUPE, BECOMES
LE VISIONNAIRE – ESPACE FRANÇOIS DALLE
4,200 square meters dedicated to transmission and innovation,
to ‘seize what’s starting’ and create the future of beauty
Clichy, 29 September 2023 – Following years of construction and transformation, Le Visionnaire – Espace François Dalle, was inaugurated on 28th September 2023. Across 4,200 square meters, the new space invites people to discover the historical address of L’Oréal and an entirely new universe dedicated to transmitting corporate culture, inspiration and creativity, in which to innovate and invent the future of beauty.
Located at the intersection of Rue Saint-Honoré and Rue Royale in Paris, the building is an architectural masterpiece of 18th century France, built by the architect, Ange-Jacques Gabriel, whose facade and roofing are listed historical monuments. The address is also the birthplace of L’Oréal’s original métier of professional hairdressing, and the site where many beauty products were invented that revolutionized everyday life.
The building structure was entirely reimagined by the talented architect, Alain Moatti, whose challenge was to create a symbiotic relationship between legacy and ultra-modernity, reflecting a new purpose for the space: to help write the next chapter of the L’Oréal story and invent the most innovative products to respond to each beauty aspirations.
“Le Visionnaire is the ideal bridge between the past and the future of L’Oréal. The space reflects our values and our absolute belief in innovation and our love of cultural transmission. The futuristic quality of its architecture invites audacity and an avant-garde spirit, with one ambition: to cultivate together our ability to constantly reinvent ourselves, in order to adapt for a changing world. The L’Oréal adventure will continue to write itself here, in the place where it all started,” said Jean-Paul Agon, L’Oréal Groupe President.
Conceived by and for L’Oréal employees, and dedicated to welcoming L’Oréal staff and partners from all over the world, Le Visionnaire is a dream come true: a product of fruitful collaboration and creative excitement, and of the future-in-the-making. Inspired by the vision of François Dalle, CEO of L’Oréal from 1957 to 1984, the atelier-like space fuels the ‘bivouac’ spirit, conducive to freedom of thought and the most disruptive ideas. With its very design seeking to reproduce the creative journey and the innovation process at L'Oréal, Le Visionnaire is built around 21 rooms devoted to history and heritage, to transmission, to inspiration and experimentation.
For Nicolas Hieronimus, CEO of L’Oréal Groupe, “Le Visionnaire is an immersion into our culture and roots, which have always proved a strength towards building the future. It is a true incubator for creativity, collective wisdom, experience and experimentation, powered by the best technology to help inspire and ‘seize what’s starting’, as François Dalle would say. Entirely conceived in a collaborative spirit, it simultaneously allows you to delve into the soul of our Maison, as well as a deep exploration of the wider world, allowing our employees to invent the future of beauty together.”
The very best of technology
Le Visionnaire is equipped with the most cutting-edge technology, with its different spaces offering unique digital experiences, including a connected ‘cabinet of curiosities’ and a tactile, digital wall powered by AI that projects images and data in real-time to enhance the creative process among teams.
A level of ambition reflected in truly unique architecture
L’Oréal Groupe longed for architecture that reflected the constant movement and transition between past and future, exchange and innovation; and it was the architect, Alain Moatti to whom it entrusted the task of restoration and reinvention.
On arrival, the visitor is met by a unique architectural feature: a tall, curved, ovoid-shaped glass roof that stands between the cut stone walls. This concept, with its monumental glass and steel shell, is the result of painstaking calculations, made possible by technology and collaboration with Bellapart, a world leader in innovative construction and complex architecture.
“Covered with a reflective lacquer shell, Le Visionnaire offers an ever-changing, almost abstract image, made of reflections of time and light which imprint rhythms and perspectives: the iridescence of mornings, the luminous incandescence of the evening…the spectacular creation of the ‘egg’ illustrates everything that L’Oréal makes possible,” explains Alain Moatti, founding architect of the Moatti & Rivière agency.
Le Visionnaire – Espace François Dalle: homage to an emblematic leader
Le Visionnaire-Espace François Dalle pays homage to the emblematic leader who developed the Groupe from a small enterprise to the world leader in its market. François Dalle embodies this pioneering spirit that has always prevailed at L’Oréal, along with the innovation and the culture that he shaped.
“14 Rue Royale is a historic and symbolic landmark that for many years, has been synonymous with the name ‘L’Oréal’. If the building bears testimony to the products that shaped L’Oréal’s reputation, it also bears the memories of the men and women responsible for their development for over a century. In particular, I think of a handful of leaders who worked and still work to build this company,” says Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, principal shareholder, L’Oréal Groupe. “Among those who made L’Oréal what it is, there is one name that to me is particularly dear today: that of François Dalle. Tireless worker, sensitive, demanding of himself and others, he inspired trust, liked to take charge, to train together, and dispel the limitations that we put on ourselves. François Dalle was exceptionally intelligent and charismatic.”
Making the hairdressing Academy one of the most beautiful in the world
Hairdressing, L’Oréal’s original métier, along with its Academy have taken up residence with more than 750 square meters dedicated to mastering the craft, in all its textures and colors, by training hairdressing professionals. Under the glass dome, the training space -- highly digital, hybrid and agile -- will offer cutting-edge expertise and a unique experience. “It was here at 14 Rue Royale, the birthplace of hairdressing, that over many decades, beauty products and routines were imagined that led to the creation of the hairdressing profession. It is a space where the Professional Products Division will continue, alongside hairdressers the world over, to innovate, reinvent itself and lead the transformation of the craft which we have pursued for nearly 115 years,” said Omar Hajeri, President, Professional Products Division, L’Oréal Groupe.
Le Visionnaire - Espace François Dalle in numbers
- 4,200 square meters
- A 25-meter-tall glass roof made up of 288 steel nodes, assembling 188 glass panels
- 21 rooms, all different and unique, over five floors
- More than 2,500 digitized documents in the archive
- 335 iconic products exhibited
More information is available at Loreal.com
About L’Oréal
For over 110 years, L’Oréal, the world’s leading beauty player, has devoted itself to one thing only: fulfilling the beauty aspirations of consumers around the world. Our purpose, to create the beauty that moves the world, defines our approach to beauty as inclusive, ethical, generous and committed to social and environmental sustainability. With our broad portfolio of 36 international brands and ambitious sustainability commitments in our L’Oréal for the Future programme, we offer each and every person around the world the best in terms of quality, efficacy, safety, sincerity and responsibility, while celebrating beauty in its infinite plurality.
With 87 400 committed employees, a balanced geographical footprint and sales across all distribution networks (e-commerce, mass market, department stores, pharmacies, hair salons, branded and travel retail), in 2022 the Group generated sales amounting to 38.26 billion euros. With 20 research centers across 11 countries around the world and a dedicated Research and Innovation team of over 4 000 scientists and 5 500 tech and digital professionals, L’Oréal is focused on inventing the future of beauty and becoming a Beauty Tech powerhouse.
More information on https://www.loreal.com/en/mediaroom
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