Conservation Centre, FR - Chambéry, 2024
Conservation Centre
In addition to just presenting the artwork and archives, this project offered a challenge: conserving and protecting the symbolism of each piece of art, whether due to use or spirit. How can we avoid this kind of facility looking like a dull warehouse? Protective but calm, breaking free from the hard, enclosed and austere reputation often suffered by buildings intended for storage, the storage facilities are a symbol of the department's sustainable and visible commitment to the memory of Savoie. As a “marvellous object”, pure, perfectly square, the building’s precise geometry acts as a marker within the landscape. This setting offers a renewed image of the memory of Savoie, and a trade-off between ancient and modern architectures. Along the plain there are two coloured concrete blocks engraved with motifs inspired by Savoie chests, a traditional Alpine item. Both brutalist and refined, the project is inspired by these storage chests which are highly resistant to mountain weather, offering strength, sincerity and modesty with its motifs and inscriptions. Sun crosses, rosettes and the date of construction are found in the thick concrete sheets, which make sense with regards to the building's purpose. Evoking the sun, the endless cycle, the time which passes and passing on to the next generations. The building’s composition is nestled within the zone’s urban framework. It reinterprets traditional furniture to underline the Savoie identity with a sophisticated colour palette. To optimise storage and ensure significant compactness from a thermal and energy point of view, the square, two-storey design restricts the minimum theoretical facade surface area, thus reducing heat loss.