Core Program Components

La Coursive is an Architecture and Heritage Interpretation Center in Fougères (Ille-et-Vilaine), comprising:

300 m² of reception areas (ticketing, bookshop, cloakroom, restrooms)
320 m² of permanent exhibition space, showcasing the city’s history
110 m² of temporary exhibition space
60 m² event hall (seating approximately 50, for openings, lectures, etc.)
Two 50 m² educational workshops
240 m² of offices and staff workspaces for the La Coursive team

Site Constraints

The project is located at the foot of Fougères Castle, the largest medieval fortress in Western Europe. The site is classified as a protected heritage zone (ZPPAUP). Three existing buildings, along with a gap site, defined the perimeter for the creation of La Coursive: Le Lion d’Or (an 18th-century inn), Maison des Associations (a 19th-century adjoining structure), and the former Raul II School (built in the early 20th century). The latter is separated from the other two buildings by an empty space, where a contemporary extension—essential for the program’s deployment—was constructed.

The project’s environment is marked by a certain duality. On one side, the highly patrimonial dimension of the site, dominated by the imposing presence of Fougères Castle. On the other, along Boulevard Jacques Faucheux, a more heterogeneous urban fabric reflects different construction periods. Far from being a drawback, this duality is an asset for the establishment of an Architecture and Heritage Interpretation Center, embodying the urban sedimentation characteristic of historic cities.

Public space is organized into three typologies. First, Place Raoul II, directly connected to the lower town and the square in front of the castle entrance, is a largely pedestrian area serving as both a promenade and a vantage point for observing the city’s architectural heritage. The newly created access to the ground floor of Le Lion d’Or is strategically significant, as it links the square to all the project’s programmatic components (reception, shop, exhibitions, educational workshops, etc.).

Boulevard Jacques Faucheux, a major axis connecting Rennes to Fougères, is characterized by heavy automobile traffic and numerous built discontinuities. Gaps between parcels and the setback of many buildings create a porous urban landscape, offering visual escapes toward the castle and the former quarry site, though the area struggles to present itself as a cohesive urban entity.

Finally, the large lawn of the Pauline Montembault Promenade, extending from the ramparts to the project site, serves as the outdoor counterpart to La Coursive. As an interface with the castle, it allows visitors to approach the entrance peacefully, away from road traffic.

Core Concept and Key Design Principles

Our approach to the project’s implantation is deeply rooted in the notion of building massing. The morphological division of surrounding structures follows a consistent compositional logic: a slightly raised ground floor, a façade typically composed of two levels, and a dual-pitched roof. The regular arrangement of openings in these façades adheres to a certain symmetry, with building lengths ranging from 10 to 25 meters (particularly in the low-rise former school).

Our project—and especially its contemporary extension—directly aligns with this logic. While maintaining homogeneous proportions, it perpetuates the idea of urban sedimentation through its plural architectural identity and the treatment of its interior spaces. As visitors move through buildings spanning the 18th to the 21st centuries, they perceive that this cultural facility does more than interpret its surroundings—it embodies them. Its intrinsic composition directly reflects the layers of history at play.

The surrounding buildings, regardless of their construction period, are characterized by their strong mineral quality. The thickness of the façades is evident around the openings. In its simplest form, the urban landscape could be summarized as: "Stone buildings, sparsely perforated, with 45-degree pitched roofs."

While we recognize that reality is far more complex, this instantaneous image—distilling the essential constructive strata that shaped this sector of the city—serves as a starting point for reflecting on the project’s extension. The design reinterprets these morphological features in a contemporary manner. In response to the stone of the old buildings, the extension employs raw, off-form concrete, with a rough texture and a light, warm hue reminiscent of the mortar joints in the historic façades. This new mineral expression reconciles change and continuity, a choice as much about the project’s site integration as its interpretive mission and the themes it presents.

The density of façade openings is consistent across buildings (around 15%). While these are uniformly distributed in the older structures, the extension concentrates its transparency at the ground floor. A large opening onto Boulevard Faucheux offers expansive visual connections between the reception-shop area and the city. Slightly elevated above sidewalk level, its panoramic proportions echo the speed of vehicles and a more kinetic perception of architecture. Two subtle folds in the concrete frame this urban window, decomposing the extension’s lower level. On the south façade, another large opening marks the main entrance to La Coursive.

The extension is slightly set back from the low-rise school building. A horizontal glass joint bridges the two structures, allowing a thin band of zenithal light to filter through. The old façade remains fully visible in the reception area, with only a few low walls removed to create functional connections between spaces. This approach again reflects our desire to render the site’s historical layers legible.

The reception areas are located on the ground floor, spanning the Maison des Associations and the extension. From here, visitors can directly access the temporary exhibition, the event hall, and the first educational workshop, all housed in the former school. The permanent exhibition unfolds on the upper floor, once more bridging the extension and the old Maison des Associations. The second educational workshop is positioned nearby, on the school’s upper level. Finally, the staff spaces for La Coursive occupy the entire Le Lion d’Or building.

The deployment of sequences and collection objects leverages the morphology of each space and their relationship to the surrounding site, offering varied atmospheres that characterize each theme without compartmentalizing them. The scenographic interventions are resolutely contemporary, combining sobriety and elegance without venturing into overly singular forms. The volumes are simple and define the different sequences.

The urban and architectural heritage of Fougères is presented on the ground floor of the extension, in direct relation to the public space (through the large opening onto the boulevard) and the reception area. This placement is strategic, as the large model also prepares visitors for tours of the city and the castle. Elevating it to an upper floor would have disconnected it from the city’s ground plane, which we deemed inappropriate.

The memory of labor and sequences related to Fougères’ artisanal and industrial development unfold extensively on the upper floor of the extension, within a high-volume space evocative of a workshop. Finally, literature and renowned writers, including the towering figure of Jean Guéhenno, are showcased on the upper floor of the Maison de Quartier, in a more domestic-scale setting—evoking the intimacy of a home.

Long peripheral display ledges, punctuated by recesses, harmonize the heterogeneous abundance of objects, iconographic sources, and mediation supports. A few arrowslits opening onto the city rhythmically interrupt these linear displays, distinguishing the themes. Two thematic islands, dedicated to glassmaking and footwear, are centrally positioned within the space.

Construction System and Materials

Double-layer tinted and textured concrete fins (GBE type), featuring an intermediate PIR insulation core to eliminate thermal bridges;
Roof slopes waterproofed and externally insulated, topped with prefabricated tinted concrete roof modules;
Ultra-slim metal window and door frames with thermal break technology and double glazing for all exterior joinery;
Complete restoration of existing wooden frameworks;
Full renewal of slate roofing and all flashings;
Comprehensive restoration of the historic stone façades;
Full refurbishment of existing floor structures in the heritage buildings;
Wood wool thermal insulation in the restructured existing buildings;
Rigid wood fiber acoustic insulation panels for interior spaces;
Solid oak parquet flooring laid over a thermo-acoustic screed in all public-access areas (reception, exhibitions, event hall).