Domaine Pierre Cheval

The site proposes a collection of vernacular architectures : an old chapel, a cellar, steps forming a natural amphitheater, old orchards and terraced gardens. Besides its central position in the village, the place also offers many views on the wine-growing landscape. The whole presented many singular objects, archipelagos, in their natural context. These architectures already had qualities linked to their anchoring to the site, to their history, to their traditional conception, to their hyper materiality.

However the link between the architectural elements and their environment existed only partially, the site had suffered of many transformations without consultation, making it lose its link to landscape. Working on memory, our proposal gives to these entities their visibility and their structuring role within the village with sobriety. The chapel regains its autonomy, recessed extensions are grafted to it, assigning it new uses (exhibitions, banquet space, kitchen, storage, sanitary facilities, winter garden). The cellar is rehabilitated, its new floor is extended to the place ; the limit of the place is treated by a concrete seat which draws its end, inviting visitors into the site and allows them to embrace the the whole picture, in a contemplative way.

Rehabilitation of an old chapel, of its park and public space
The site that has been studied proposes a collection of characteristic architecture: the old chapel, the winery, the stairway, and the amphitheatre, presented all together as singular objects, archipelagos, in their natural context of an ancient orchard. 

These architectures own qualities related to the place where they are anchored, to their history, their traditional design and their hyper-materiality. The exceptionality of the place is also given from the numerousness of perspectives on the viticulture landscape and from the central position into the village. 

The connection between the objects and the context doesn’t exist anymore because of the different transformation that the site has suffered without any consultation. Therefore the complex has lost the relation with the site, its originally function, and the chapel is isolated from the rest of the site. The challenge of the project is to return to these entities their own visibility and their structural role in the village of Hautvillers. 

- The Chapel has refound its autonomy, some extension have been added in order to give them other usage (space banquets, kitchen, storing, toilets, winter garden). 

- The winery has been restructured, its new ground extends towards the square, and the fireplace is usable. 

- The border of the square has been treated, the extremities draw a seated that directs the gaze inside the plot, creating a visual connection with each one of the rectangle that compose the square.