Rosa Bonheur Cultural Center / Modal Architecture

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Text description provided by the architects.Built in the 1970s, the building that housed the former conservatory ofFontenay-aux-Rosesno longer met current standards for accessibility, safety, and comfort. The municipal team therefore decided to transform part of the site into offices and the other part into a cultural and community space dedicated to the city's residents and associations. The studies and supervision of the renovation work were entrusted to Monique Bastos, principal architect at Modal Architecture, who focused on reconfiguring the building itself and reconnecting it to the urban fabric, particularly with the surrounding streets and the site's topography. The building is located on the slopes of the city, on steep terrain with an elevation difference of nearly 6 meters between the two bordering streets. Its main façade, almost imperceptible from the street, previously opened onto a large, underutilized elevated square accessible only via a steeply inclined car ramp.The exterior landscaping complements the microarchitecture project. The upper square was completely redesigned to include a series of gardens and small paved squares with vegetated joints, bordered by long concrete benches. The building's exterior joinery was replaced with wooden-framed windows, and the façade was refurbished. Inside, the spaces were reimagined to accommodate community rooms and a large multipurpose hall intended for exhibitions and cultural events. The walls of this hall are clad in wooden acoustic panels, which conceal built-in storage cabinets as well as a movable and portable reception desk. Rolling benches add flexibility to the space, as they can either be stored in alcoves or moved around the room as needed.To address the challenges of visibility and accessibility, Monique Bastos designed a microarchitecture structure housing the new elevator, which also serves as a signal and landmark in the public space. Renowned for her work on architectural details and playful forms, she drew inspiration from the architectural vocabulary of the 19th-century houses in the neighborhood. The colors and textures create a contrast between smooth and rough, matte and shiny, raw and refined finishes. The forms, composed of curved terraces arranged in a stepped layout, give the structure vertical emphasis and highlight the presence of the cultural facility. The elevator façade, made of pale green metal, rises to the full height of the structure and features a retro-lit, laser-cut sign. The base was rebuilt in stone, while the elevator shaft volume was clad in carefully arranged matte and glazed brick tiles. The reddish-brick tone contrasts with the pastel shades of the metal and concrete.