manuel araujo + oliveira win [AC-CA] paris champagne bar competition

manuel araujo + oliveira win [AC-CA] paris champagne bar competition
all images courtesy of pedro manuel araujo and michael oliveira

[AC-CA] is an organization that holds international architectural competitions with intent to express the concepts of students, graduates, and professionals. within each scheme, the creators are encouraged to integrate function, structure, and details within the fabric of social spaces in a sustainable manner. previous events have been performed in various cities around the world, including buenos aires, amsterdam, and london, for the designs of schools, museums, and bridges. in their latest competition for ‘le palais du champagne bar’, the foundation has selected pedro manuel araujo and michael oliveira as the winning team for their proposal along the river seine in paris.

looking down the water’s edge

the building is intended to suggest an approach that endorses continuity, offering acts of cultural and geographical recombination. as such, it is a contemporary response to the urban setting and natural entourage of paris in between formality and informality. formally, the design highlights the architecture of the city’s classical beaux-arts palaces. informally, it draws light breezes passing through the western-flowing river. ‘paris owes its motto to the seine, and in a way, the seine tells the story of paris. it begins as a whisper, a promise, in which the breeze became a wind following the seine through the heart of paris,’ the architects stated.

bar interior

throughout the arch of the bridges, pedestrians will catch glimpses of the structure, with people animating the interior, similar to the effect ‘the louvre’ produces as it plays hide and seek with the monuments of the city. the compact volume limits its contour impact to take full advantage of solar and local, reducing the functional areas in order to enhance the fruition of the programs. the project combines the use of forms and spaces that constitute an idea of historical sensitivity and awareness with technology by employing arches as beams, shapes as materials, touch, light, and sounds, both emotive and selective for a comfortable and pleasant atmosphere.

view across the river

the curving perimeter geometry created acts on its relation to the smooth silhouette of the tangent trees existing on the plot. however, the bar is not limited to its shape, but also defines a number of ways to relax or appreciate the buzz of activity along the levels. primarily, access is achieved through the ground floor by a spiral stair and an elevator situated under the golden brass arch base along the quayside. on a sunny day, visitors can catch the southern exposure on a walk, playing below, or sitting above the water-stairs connected to the river, appearing as a type of mirror in which the building finds its own reflection. aboard the continuous terrace, occupants can experience all the seine has to offer. at the main seating room, within the ethereal and opaque glass volume, they can lay back or dance while exploring an area between two floors, taking a champagne cup and listening to the sounds of a musician with a scenic backdrop.

exploded axonometric diagram

river level plan 

terrace level plan

bar P1 level plan

bar P2 level plan

section

river elevation

 designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.