Location: Saint-Etienne, France.

Architect: K ARCHITECTURES.

The former Saint-Etienne arms factory was built in 1864 and is an industrial and military “palace” composed of white stone and red brick. It is an emblematic site in the history of the city, whose conversion into a creative district hosts prestigious programmes such as the Cité du Design and university branches as well as the Centre des Savoirs pour l’Innovation (CSI). The challenge was to set the CSI as close as possible to the remains of the Forges workshop, and the concept was to seek a balance between a heritage listed as a historical monument and a contemporary style. The attic was designed as a glass abstraction with a timeless pre-weathered metal. The object is materialised by a systematic repetition of vertical bands alternating glass and metal, running across the four façades.

The six bays of arcades have been reconstituted in this spirit of atemporal abstraction, and three levels have been developed in the envelope of the former workshop. The interior architecture is sober and bright, with muffled ambiences combining whites and matt minerals with raw concrete. The roof is covered with zinc and oriented in an impluvium to make it disappear into the urban landscape. No unsightly machines were placed on the roof, and the structural stone of the remains was restored and integrated into the overall static scheme.

Photo credit: Sophie ODDO.