Location: Louviers, France.

Architect: Opus 5.

The antique convent of the Penitents in Louviers, Normandy is an exceptional example of “cloister on water”. It was built between 1646 and 1659 for the Franciscan brethren and was sold in 1789 as a national fortune. In 1827, the church was demolished and the tribunal was transferred in a new part of the edifice. In 1990, the building was reused as a music school. The project aimed to offer Louviers a new musical school, modern, functional, attractive and representing the town’s cultural policy.

The South Extension, replacing the missing parts of the south wing, exposes its front to the water, towards the cloister and the city. The orchestra room is a showcase of the building’s creative life, composed of a rectangular glass box with chrome stripes reflecting the surrounding environment and fading in the sky. The North façade is made of laminated glazed panels with mirror finish, suspended on mirror polished stainless steel wales and used as a duct blower. The Frontier façade is made of prefabricated concrete panels of 8 cm thickness/ 180 cm width and of variable heights.

Photo credit: Bruno Decaris.