Moussafir Architects

La Luciole Concert Hall

La Luciole Concert Hall
© Luc Boegly

LA LUCIOLE CONCERT HALL 

Moussafir Architectes Associés

CLIENT
Alençon City Council

ENGINEERING
Batiserf

CONTRACTORS
Sagir, Renaudat Centre Constructions, Arblade, Vonthron, Gondouin, Ates, Daupley, R2C, Polybat, AMG Féchoz, Bezannier, Ducré, Fabripose, Qualiprofil, Assisesportive, Audiotechniques, AZUR SCENIC, x, Gagneux Décors

ENGINEERING PARTNERS
A&T, Peutz, ALTO, René Micout

PHOTOGRAPHS
Luc Boegly, Moussafir Architectes Associés

DESIGN TEAM
Jacques Moussafir, Francesca De Marchi, Nicolas Hugoo, Alexis Duquennoy, Guillaume Cournut, Laurent Théaux, Albert Ruiz

BUDGET
2,653,000 €. ex tax

AREA
1274.0 m²

CATEGORY
Concert House

YEAR
2008

LOCATION
Alençon, France

Text description provided by architect.

Situated on the edge of Alençon, in the rural landscape of Lower Normandy, La Luciole – French for «firefly» – resulted from the efforts of its passionate director-«programmateur». Founded in 1994, this concert facility has carved itself a reputation, attracting renowned musicians to its tiny performance hall.

La Luciole Concert Hall
© Luc Boegly
La Luciole Concert Hall
© Luc Boegly

Several years ago, the municipality has agreed to finance the extension of La Luciole. The competition brief required a larger, 650-strong concert hall that would however maintain the sense of intimacy and the enveloping quality that defined the original space. The desire to bring people maximally close to the stage has literally shaped the restructured venue wherein artists are almost surrounded by their audience.

The brainstorming phase saw the buildingʼs forms evolve from rectangular to cylindrical, yet the core idea – two tilted, interconnected volumes containing the audience and the stage – remained intact. «It's somewhat bizarre, and eccentric, and very different from everything else designed by our office,» notes Jacques Moussafir. This is partly explained by the projectʼs dynamic tempo: the competition proposal was done in ten days. More importantly, the bold geometry and exuberant color scheme reflect the strong, flamboyant personality of the man who has created La Luciole.

La Luciole Concert Hall
© Luc Boegly
La Luciole Concert Hall
© Luc Boegly

Structurally, the project consists of two cylindrical steel frames and a concrete enclosure for the stage (smaller concrete boxes are used for entrances and exits).

An arch emerging where the two cylinders intersect marks the border between the stage and the audience. Simple in itself, the steel structure required some serious development work as the architects aimed to minimize the use of materials without compromising stability.

Another challenge presented itself while mounting curved insulation panels and suspending acoustic sheets from the rounded surfaces of the performance hall.

La Luciole Concert Hall
© Luc Boegly
La Luciole Concert Hall
© Luc Boegly

Built by the west entrance to the city, La Luciole appears as an urban beacon, set in counterpoint to the linear façade of the adjacent exhibition centre. The membrane stretched over the auditoriumʼs circular roof is meant as a projection screen.

Exterior finishing relates the building to its natural surroundings. The initial project proposed matt and polished stainless steel cladding that would reflect the ever-changing Normandy skies, yet the reality dictated a more economical solution: corrugated steel siding.

La Luciole Concert Hall
© Luc Boegly
La Luciole Concert Hall
© Moussafir Architectes Associés

Seemingly random arrangement of white and blue panels suggests a pixilated fragment of the sky, often covered with fleeing clouds. With darker shades concentrated where the two cylinders meet, the overall effect evokes a geyser linking the earth and the sky.


La Luciole Concert Hall
Section
La Luciole Concert Hall
Section
La Luciole Concert Hall
Façade Structure Diagram
La Luciole Concert Hall
Floor Plans


La Luciole Concert Hall
Site Plan
La Luciole Concert Hall
Situation Plan

Moussafir Architects
T +33 1 48243830 F +33 1 48244375
Moussafir Architects
5 Rue du Vertbois, 75003 Paris, France