La Passerelle / Pierre Vurpas et Associés Architectes

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Text description provided by the architects. A stone pebble cut like a diamond, a mineral forecourt that reaches out to draw in passers-by, a glass facade like an ever-changing skyscape, gilded like copper, words from the old French dictionary engraved into the glass panels, illuminated by curtains of woven metal: La Passerelle, a new cultural space for Trévoux, slots into the gap next to the hospital like a missing piece of the puzzle creating a perfect blend of history and contemporary architecture. The programme is inspired by the town’s rich literary and architectural heritage, creating a forum for education, culture and sharing which brings together a music school, a multi-media library, a CIAP (architecture and heritage centre), an old pharmacy, an exhibition hall, and a multi-purpose room fitted out as a cinema. The challenge for the design team was to produce a contemporary facility that would be open to the town and today’s world, on an exceptional site. Through a radical, yet gentle, confrontation this project makes the history of this town on the banks of the river Saone visible for all to see.