The listed national monument of the Casino Tower on the Luxembourg Moselle was to be made accessible for tourism.

The project of a tower within the tower allows thus to bring in appropriate access, a bathroom and a kitchen but also contemporary technology without mutilating the historic structure.

The tower is welded together on site in 12 mm solid steel and is both structural and architectural. Diverse functions and room layouts are thus organized over four floors and in the smallest possible space.

The stair tower contains heating, water techniques and electrical supply, as well as bathroom and kitchen, an office, a stove and the, for the region obligatory, wine fridge.

What were the solutions?
A second tower, integrating stairs, technical equipment but also kitchen and bath, was built inside the original building. It was built by welding on site 12 mm steel plates and is hence simultaneously structure and architecture.

What was the brief?
The renovation and transformation of the listed tower, to be made accessible for tourism.

What were the key challenges?
The building's footprint is fairly small (3,5X3,5 meters) , and the original structure did not have vertical circulation other than ladders. To integrate modern equipment but also spatial organisation and distribution without losing the original architecture was the key challenge.

Team:
Lead architect: 2001 TBSI
Co-design: elementar
Photography: Ludmilla Cerveny