Delivering a phased renovation for Oliver Wyman in Paris, balancing complex technical coordination with high-end workplace finishes.

The project was delivered in two phases, allowing Oliver Wyman’s teams to remain in the building throughout the works. Phase one covered the second and third floors between September and January, while phase two focused on the first floor between January and March.

Early planning centred on maintaining business continuity while managing a technically demanding scope. As the client continued to occupy the floors not under construction, Agilité carefully sequenced the works around operational teams, other building tenants and restricted noisy-working hours.

The location added another layer of complexity. Positioned just off Avenue des Champs-Élysées and close to the Hôtel Louis Vuitton site, the building offered limited space for street-level logistics. Deliveries had to be planned carefully to avoid disruption and keep materials moving without affecting the surrounding area.

Long-lead items also required early attention. HVAC units, bespoke joinery and high-performance acoustic glass doors all had to be ordered well in advance, with the client raising purchase orders before works began on site to protect the programme.

This was a close collaboration between Agilité and Parella, with Parella acting as design and technical architect, while Agilité delivered the physical build and helped translate the technical and architectural design into a workable construction solution.

The biggest challenge was adding new fan coil units and integrating them to an existing active ceiling system. Like many Parisian buildings, ceiling heights were limited, leaving little space to integrate HVAC units, fan coils and associated MEP networks without affecting the architectural finish.

To resolve this, Agilité, Parella, subcontractors, architects and the wider coordination team held two to three meetings each week during the most complex stages of the project. Phase one became the proving ground for these solutions, allowing the team to refine the approach and apply lessons learned more efficiently during phase two.

In some areas, the team had to drill and reinforce structural beams to accommodate services. Where this was not possible, alternative routes had to be found, with each technical adjustment carefully coordinated against partitions, access hatches and finishes.

Communication was critical, particularly because the project brought together several stakeholder groups: Oliver Wyman, Parella, Agilité, subcontractors, consultants and teams based outside France.

As the project progressed, the working relationship strengthened. Early challenges became easier to resolve as teams built trust, understood each other’s priorities and created a more collaborative rhythm for decision-making.

HoloBuilder played an important role in keeping remote stakeholders informed, giving Oliver Wyman’s wider team visibility of progress even when they were not able to visit site. Alongside regular meetings and on-site coordination, this helped maintain alignment during a complex phased programme.

This was especially important in the third-floor client area, where the active ceiling was removed across approximately 400 sqm and replaced with new HVAC units concealed behind a non-demountable acoustic ceiling. The space needed to achieve a premium finish, so every technical decision had to protect the design intent while ensuring future performance and access requirements were properly considered.

The finished workspace combines high-quality client-facing areas, modern office space and carefully coordinated technical infrastructure. The first-floor reception and client areas are a particular highlight, designed to create a polished and professional arrival experience.

A number of details required precise execution. High-performance acoustic glass doors, with a 10–12 week lead time and virtually no tolerance, had to be ordered before the surrounding floors and ceilings were complete. When the installed conditions revealed a 1cm discrepancy, Agilité adapted quickly, reworking the ceiling over a single weekend to achieve the required finish.

The team also delivered bespoke joinery, acoustic ceilings, technical integrations and plasterboard arches across two floors. After challenges with the first set of arches in phase one, Agilité changed its construction method for phase two, achieving a much cleaner result with no snags on the revised approach.

Despite the complexity of the building, the live environment and the technical challenges uncovered during delivery, Agilité kept the project moving with practical problem-solving and close coordination. The result is a refined, high-performing Paris workplace that supports Oliver Wyman’s people while providing a premium experience for visiting clients.