The Adaptive Reuse of a Former Tobacco Factory

A building of historic and protected importance

The Manufacture des Tabacs, located in the Krutenau neighborhood of Strasbourg, France, was first built in 1849 for the production of tobacco products. Over the years, the factory witnessed a series of war-related destructions and changes in ownership. By 2010, all tobacco production activities had been suspended and the factory was closed. It was eventually designated as a building of historic and protected importance.

In 2023, 11 000 square metres of the Manufacture des Tabacs became a part of the University of Strasbourg – the largest educational institution in the city – as part of efforts launched by the local Public Real Estate Heritage Department. Vurpas Architectes took on the adaptive reuse project, converting three lots to render the industrial space hospitable for student activity and construct educational areas with classrooms, lecture halls, laboratories, research offices, and more.

To provide acoustic comfort for students, the ceiling solutions including Rockfon Color-all and Rockfon Blanka were installed by STAM Acoustique across different areas.

Respecting an industrial architectural character

Acoustic strategies are often urgent in adaptive reuse projects. In factories, this is especially the case considering that materials and floor plans are not optimised for new functions.

As an ex-factory, the Manufacture des Tabacs required intervention with a focus on acoustics in order for the spaces to allow for both student and teacher comfort. However, as a protected heritage building, limitations mean that all modifications and additions need to be non-intrusive to respect the historic legacy of the 1800s building.

“The major challenge of this project was offering spaces adapted to each area while preserving the industrial interior design of the site”, explains Ingrid Jégousse, architect at Vurpas Architectes.

“The main technical challenge was that the architects wanted to keep a large part of the beams visible. You have two options for the beams, either installing new ones or maintaining the historic beams of the former tobacco factory. The solution that we explored with the architects avoids the use of framework between each panel to have a junction that is as discreet as possible”, explains Jérôme Witz, Works Manager at STAM Acoustique.

A mix of acoustic ceiling solutions

Several acoustic solutions were installed across the ex-factory, each selected for the requirements of the room at hand.

For the lecture hall and multipurpose student hall acoustics, Rockfon Color-all acoustic ceiling tiles in the Cork and Hemp colours were installed – two of the 34 curated shades available in the range. “The coloured tiles, installed between the beams, are held in place using double angles, which allows the framework to be hidden and gives this continuous coloured effect between the beams”, explains Jérôme Witz.

“We selected coloured acoustic solutions in neutral tones to integrate with the wooden beams and blend seamlessly into the industrial building’s structure, which we aimed to preserve”, adds Ingrid Jégousse.

Acoustic white ceiling tiles were installed in the offices and laboratories using Chicago Metallic Infinity suspended grids. In one common area, they’re installed in a rectangular floating raft grid. Additionally, white ceiling tiles were installed in classrooms to optimise acoustics and reduce reverberation, creating tranquil environments for comfortable teaching and enhanced student focus.