dominique coulon turns a 17th century mansion into a new media library in provence

a french mansion dating back to 1642 sets the scene for this latest project by dominique coulon & associés. located in the heart of provence, in the town of pélissanne, the strasbourg-based architects have extended and renovated the historic ‘maureau mansion’ to create a new media library and urban park for the public to enjoy.

images © eugeni pons

the completed project forms a dialogue between two distinct eras and architectural styles. the new extension doesn’t seek to dominate the original 17th century building but instead, curves smoothly away from it. the difference in height creates a visual hierarchy and contrast between new and old. the verticality of the renovated mansion juxtaposes with the horizontality of the contemporary volume. this distinction is further emphasized by the fenestration and the different shades of local materials used, such as ocher and rognes stone.

within the existing building, dominique coulon & associés has preserved the classic spatial structure of interconnecting rooms, establishing a simple internal organization of the media library. in contrast, the layout of the new extension is arranged around large, flexible consultation spaces on two floors.

the first floor of the extension opens out to the park, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the landscape. the upper floor offers a totally different experience as it curves around the crown of the tree, the preservation of which informed the shape of the new architecture. 

the project also involves the renovation of an adjacent building that connects the town hall square and the park. this building is now a passage that is materialized here by a totally empty space bathed in natural light. the existing floors, doors and windows are removed. the tiles of the roof are replaced by glass tiles. the park elevation is maintained as it is with its semi-circular porte-cochere. on the town hall side, the façade is open over its entire width, framing the vegetation of the park.

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project info:

project name: pierre bottero media library

location: pelissanne, france

client: commune de pelissanne

architect: dominique coulon & associés

area: 10,570 ft2 (982 m2) + 37,136 ft2 (3,450) m2 landscaping

structural engineer: batiserf ingénierie

electrical: BET gilbert

fluids: VBET

economy: E3 économie

photography: eugeni pons