Hôtel particulier built in 1642 becomes a media library and park
By David Malone, Associate Editor
Designed by Dominique Coulon & Associés, the new Pierre Bottero media library and public park has been created from a historic “Hôtel particulier” originally built in 1642.
Located in Pélissanne, an ancient fortified city in the heart of Provence, France, the project shifts between two eras and two dimensions: the verticality of the rehabilitated volume of the existing building and the horizontality of the extension. This dialogue is embodied in the contrast between the apparent homogeneity of the facades and the different shades of local materials used, such as ocher and Rognes stone.
The classical spatial structure of interconnecting rooms was preserved in the existing building, which establishes a simple internal organization of the media library. The extension, meanwhile, displays large, flexible consultation spaces on two floors. The ground level opens widely into the park and allows visitors to immerse themselves in the landscape. The upper level offers a different atmosphere as it propels the visitor into the crown of a plane tree. Preservation efforts guided the curved shape of the extension.
An adjacent building connects the town hall square and the park has been renovated into a passage that links different poles within a global and open urban system. The passage is materialized here by a totally empty space bathed in natural light. The existing floors, doors, and windows were removed and the tiles on the roof were replaced with glass tiles.
The park facade was maintained as is with its semi-circular porte-cochere. On the town hall side, the facade is open over its entire width, framing the park.
