In collaboration with Clara Fung Ka Yee
Situated in Les Trois Moutiers in The Vienne Département of France
This project received the ArchDaily Young Architects Competition Honourable Mention
Common Ruins, a Rejuvenation Project to a Castle
Mothe Chandeniers is a ruin that is never stagnant. The nature within has become an essential structure to the castle as it grows to support it. Accompanied with a rich history of the castle, even the smallest brick gives a unique character to the place. More so, the soft ground, sky, moat and its smell. These small nuances that make up the essence of the castle are irreplaceable and unreplicatable once removed. How then do we reintroduce this castle to visitors without destroying and distracting away from these small but important details?
The project is made up of a series of elevated mirrored cabins that reflect its surroundings - the nature from the ground and the details of the castle. It seeks to reamplify the relationship of nature that now hold up the fragile ruins as well as bring back a focus to the smallest details of the castle.
The castle is found surrounded by a moat, in the middle of a lake.
“As seasons past and time changes, the imagery of nature reflected is never the same.”
Connected with meshed walkways that weave close to the walls as well as act as structural supports to the castle,
visitors are brought to experience the castle up-close both vertically and horizontally. As seasons past and time changes, the imagery of nature reflected is never the same. Visitors have a non-replicable experience within the ruin as they walk through different times of the day and year. As dusk approaches and visitors occupy the rooms, the mirrored cabins transform to seemingly complete the form of the castle, as it glows from inside out. The presence of the visitor thus plays a part in regaining the image of the castle as it was before. The castle is complete with the arrival of guests. The
castle with its ruins are now complete with the mirrored images of the ever-changing nature that surrounds it, as the castle continues to grow with time.
“Is that the tree or is that the castle?”
”It’s the castle. I can see parts of it in the sky”
”woof” - the dog chimes in
The Castle is made whole again by the light that emanates in the night
cabin, nature and castle
Looking up towards the cabin, nature and castle ground is reflected from below - a merge of the contemporary and past
seemingly seamless
Cabin, Castle, Nature, Castle, Cabin
Jury
Rudy Ricciotti (Agence Rudy Ricciotti)
Dagur Eggertsson (Rintala Eggertsson Architects)
Alfonso Femia (Atelier(s) Femia)
Aldo Cibic (Cibic Workshop)
Marco Amosso (Lombardini 22)
Luca Dolmetta (LD+SR architetti)
Romain Delaume (Dartagnans)
Julien Marquis (Adopte un Château)
Olivier de Chabot (Groupe Mercure)