Dominique Coulon & associés . Photos: © David Romero-Uzeda
The project stretches alongside the railway line in the small village of Venarey-Les Laumes, in Burgundy. The building, designated a centre for rural excellence, contains a number of different initiatives, including a tourist office, a conference and culture hall, a day nursery, and areas for older people.
Our task was to bring all these very different initiatives together in a single dynamic unit. The upper volume seems to float above an almost transparent plinth. Cantilevers accentuate the dissociation of the various folds, each fold producing a face which captures the low-angled light produced by the orientation of the building. The lightly perforated opaque skin is divided into a number of triangles – some are matte while others are shiny –, thereby breaking down the structure of the basic volumes. The building often has a different appearance at different times of day. The day nursery is located upstairs, while the other initiatives are at ground level. A bright yellow courtyard continues the line of the areas used by the nursery, the purpose being to shield them from the substantial nuisance caused by the goods trains and high-speed passenger trains which pass at speed here. The transparent features of the ground floor are arranged in such a way that the relationship with the railway line is constant, and perceived as a dynamic event. The volumes of the project express its strong identity in the landscape; it stands like a marker of ambitious political determination.
Architect : Dominique Coulon & associés
Dominique Coulon, Steve Letho Duclos, Architects
Project Team : Guillaume Wittmann, Gautier Duthoit, Architects
Construction site supervision : Lionel Debs Architecte
Client : Ville de Venarey-Les Laumes
Engineers and consultants :
Structural Engineer : Batiserf
Electrical Engineer : BET G.Jost
Mechanical Plumbing Engineer : Solares Bauen
Cost Estimator : E3 économie
Acoustics : Euro sound project
Scenographer : Euro sound project
Program : Performance Hall / Tourist Office / Inter-Generation Centre/ Day nursery
Dates :
Competition : July 2012
Schematic design : September 2012 to april 2013
Construction : September 2013 to march 2015
Construction companies :
Special foundations Structure, Steel roofing structure(GEBAT), water proofing roofing (SMAC), exterior joinery (HUNSINGER), kitchen equipement (PERRIER), metalworks (GLANTENAY), plastering (RENAUD), interior wood work and furniture (AMG), glued floors (CAMPIONI), resine floors (PROCESS SOL), tiled floors (MARTIN LUCAS), interior-exterior painting (BONGLET), elevators (KONE), teather seats (HUSSON) , heating and ventilation (EIMI), plombing (EIMI), electricity (COFELY INEO ENERSYS-AUXOIS ELEC), audio-visual equipement (IRELEM), drainage and sewerage networks (ROSA), earthworks and road works (ROSA)
