Location: Rouen, France.

Architect: Bigoni-Montemard.

The project involves extending an old storage hangar in an ancient commercial harbor to accommodate an auditorium and exhibit spaces. The building is located between the railroad tracks and the Seine River. A large mashrabiya in the middle of the building captures and diffracts light, and at night, it becomes a lantern. The auditorium is partially located beneath the old hangar and is a concrete structure independent of the existing building frame. The back wall of the stage opens to invite the harbor to join the conversation, depending on the rotation of the vertical blinds.

Photo credit: Bigoni-Mortemard.