In an 18th-century building shaped by successive uses and imbued with a deep artisanal memory, LVMHMétiers d’Artinaugurates an unprecedented space dedicated to research, experimentation, and thetransmission of exceptional know-how.
This architectural project is both a sensitive reinterpretation ofheritage and a manifesto for contemporary ethical and sustainable creation.Stone walls, mismatched bricks, poured concrete slabs, original timber floors—the entire built palimpsestis stripped bare, owned in its raw truth, like a living and precious material. The project does not make it afrozen backdrop, but an active support onto which the uses of tomorrow are grafted.
S P A T I A L O R G A N I S A T I O N
Three functional entities structure the space: a mini-production zone, the heart of gesture and artisanalexperimentation; a central observation platform, modular, welcoming thepublic with a direct view ontocraftsmanship in action; and a zone of offices and laboratories, conceived as a calm workspace, set backfrom the effervescence of the workshop.A decisive intervention organises the dialogue between eras: the introduction ofan interior“second façade”in stainless steel—a technical and poetic skin. This free envelope, lifted away from the ancient walls,structures the space and offers a new interior scale adapted to contemporary uses. It invisibly integrates thenecessarythermal performance, controls solar gains, promotes natural ventilation, and distributes light deepinto the plan through its subtle reflections.
M A T E R I A L L A N G U A G E
The precise, regular stainless-steel partition draws a spatial rhythm—a visual harmony that contrasts withthe roughness of the old fabric while enhancing it. The cladding module of the exterior stainless-steelsheets continues inside, adapting to each use: stainless steel for the laboratories, wood and recycled plasticpanels for the offices,terrazzo for the sanitary areas. Each material tells a choice, a coherence, an attention.Custom stainless-steel tables were designed in collaboration with Hors Studio.
E N V I R O N M E N T A L A P P R O A C H
The environmental approach is built on the valorisation of existing structures, the reuse of materials fromdemolition and leather production, and a detailed thermodynamic study enabling a precise conception ofheating and ventilation systems. Solar thermal and photovoltaic systems reduce the impact of production.
L E A D A R C H I T E C T
KIDA Architecture & Design
AMO and Art Direction Artax
Exe architect MOExpert
Signage Studio Hugo Blanzat
Collab Hors Studio (stainless tables)
E N G I N E E R I N G
Environment Oxalis
MEP Hervéthermique
Structure B.S.Y.
Geotechnics Alios
Control Alpes Contrôles
