Incubator

  • A. Architectural level:

Our proposal is to design unique and more livable working environment, not by using different and unusual forms that are difficult to implement and more expensive, but by using repeated modular masses and create an original sort of movement inside the project.

  • 1- A continuos indoor-space working as connection volume in-between the incubator sections: By shifting the typical offices masses horizontally (figure 1), we allowed an indoorspace to be a major part in our concept, and change it from being a mono functional element, to more an interactive and creative space, provides an extension of our offices spaces and gives the project a different and remarkable identity.

  • 2- Increasing the useful green areas: Our conviction that green roofs shouldn't be just a compensate the building footprint, but to benefit from it in our design, visually and functionally. And what we did in our proposal is to design the planted roofs benefiting from the ”shifting concept” , as an integrated green areas play an important role in creating a visual and environmental interactive space for the building users.

  • 3- connectivity: Spatial corridors working as a mortar in the body of the project, consist actually the continuous movement system that allows people to move freely in-between the different parts, and to connect visually to inside as well as to outside of the project, through the double and the triple height of the vitreous curtain walls.

  • 4- Functionality: The simple and modular we used in the design of offices’s spaces (10.8 m for the main module, and 5.4m and 3.6m for the partial module) allows a high degree of functionality, by using a divisible module for offices’ units, in the three main sections of the rental area. This flexibility provides opportunity to re-divide the rental area, and allows change the investment plans in the future.


  • 5- The elements of the project: This project consists of seven stories of total area 10200 m2. Ground floor contains the main entrance, the incubator management (on two levels the ground and the first, connected by a stairs), besides of the first section of the leasing area (The jeunes start-ups) which also divided on two levels, the ground and the first. The Jeunes start-ups section consists of 30 companies of an area between 40 to 80 m2 each. In the second floor we have the main interactive space of the project, which contains the big part of the common area (les surfaces communes). In this section their are the meeting and services’ rooms, the multipurpose hall, and the restaurant café on two parts, a closed one for food preparation, and the other as an open eating hall. In the third and the fourth floor, we have the second section of the leasing area (Les entreprises en consolidation), which consists of 20 companies between 80 to 160 m2 each. The third section of of the leasing area (L’hôtel d’entreprises) situated in the fifth and the sixth floor, with a total number 10 companies between 150 to 300 m2 each. In the seventh floor, there is the GYM.


  • B. Urban level:

  • 1- The proposed volume is located in parallel with the ”avenue Jean Jaurès” , which gives two advantages: - having more visual connectivity with surrounding (the canal and the other two streets) for all offices’ units in the project. - The north-south orientation of the project, allows the two wide vitreous façades to have more insolation during the day, thus more passive solar gain, and less energy consumption.

  • 2- The specificity of this location, requires an urban design can respond to the complexity of the site, as an intersection of two important axis, an entrance to Bobigny, and as a future hub for essential transport projects.

So the urban concept takes into account two main points:

- increasing connectivity of the project with the surrounding, by creating a main pedestrian axis along the canal bank, connects our project and the future implementation on the site with the expected development on the other bank of the canal, as well as with the main entrance to Bobigny.

- minimizing the mobility impact of the project on the site and specially ”Rue de Paris”, by proposing a service road that provides accessibility and parking for the project, and for any future proposal on our site


  • C. Business Incubator literature review:

  • 1. A Review of 20 Business Incubation Models BY VASILY RYZHONKOV APRIL 26, 2013 Business Incubation is a concept which involves multiple stakeholders, dozens “building blocks”, various types of resources and several service categories (around 100 specific services in total). Consequently, it requires high level of conceptualization for better defining, analyzing, designing, calibration, performance evaluation and thinking about business incubation Here are several conceptualizations that have been made by Hackett & Dilts (2004). These conceptualizations will help to understand the overall view on a typical business incubator and it’s operations:

      • A. Incubation as a mechanism for new venture creation- a step-by-step / staged process that awards legitimacy, opens network access and heightens community support for entrepreneurs.

      • B. Incubation as a mechanism for resource allocation – a mechanism of awarding a stock of tangible and in-tangible resources to client firms that results in, in addition to other benefits, client firm growth.

      • C. Incubation as a socio-political game- a socio-political mechanism of creating an environment and perception of reduced risk and security within a boundaried physical space.

      • D. Incubation as a co-product of incubator-incubatee dyads-a process of coproducing developmental assistance in independent incubator-client dyads.

      • E. Incubation as an outcome of network behaviour- a system of increasing client firms’ network density.

      • F. Incubatee selection as a predictable and controllable process- a process of selecting “weak but promising” firms for incubator induction.”

  • 2. Different models in the business incubation industry The ‘Business Incubator Continuum’ and another framework to classify business incubators. Several other models of business incubation. The ‘Networked Incubator’. The ‘New Economy incubator’. The ‘Bottom-Up business incubator’.

  • 3. A short summary of different incubation models Below, figure 2 is provided to give a short summary of the most critical characteristics of the three chosen models in the incubation industry. These characteristics are all specific for the ‘third generation’ of business incubators. The ‘’unknown’’ boxes refer to the fact that some of the data about the characteristic has not been found explicitly in the literature. These 3 models all include the basic elements in a business incubator, as described by (Dilts & Hackett, 2004). The basic elements were mostly present already in the ‘second generation’ of incubators. However, as can be seen in the table, the screening/admission policy and the exit criteria of the ‘Bottom-Up Business Incubator’ differ from those of traditional incubators. Furthermore, the bottom-up incubator distinguishes itself, because of the fact that funding is completely independent and management as well as full operation, is done by the founders (initiating entrepreneurs) (Bøllingtoft, 2012). This is different from the other 2 models, where funding mostly comes from external private sources, such as venture capitalists or corporate investors (Commission, 2002; Hansen et al., 2000)