Cultural Centre: (Re)emergence of stone

This project tends to question the current modes of construction by (re)turning to massive building stone. The Rhônalpin basin has a local resource that is currently unexploited: its soil. The arrival of computer-assisted cutting technologies makes it possible to limit costs and free oneself from formal constraints. In addition to the CRAterre laboratory focused on adobe, this project explores the constraints and advantages that can be offered by solid stone constructions.

The building thus proposed hosts a Cultural Centre programme. Positioned in an urban park linking two currently disconnected neighbourhoods of Villeurbanne, the building emerges from the ground and is anchored in the soil from which it draws its building materials: stone, glass (sand) and wood.

The final proposal is a set of two opaque blocks facing the park. These two masses are structured by vertical planes resulting from the constructive constraints implied by massive stone. The strong lines of the building disintegrate in the park, reappearing between the valleys to generate paths and areas for contemplation.