Cité du Design | LIN | Architecture

Cité du Design, Saint-Etienne, France by LIN

This is the 41.5m€ competition-winning International Centre for Design in Saint-Etienne, France by LIN, a practice which works from Berlin and Paris

The development, which is located on the 17,250m² site of Saint-Etienne’s ancient arms manufacturing facilities, includes the renovation of some of the site’s historic buildings, as well as newly integrated facilities.

These include an auditorium, media library, exhibition rooms, public spaces, internal gardens and an observation tower, collectively referred to as the ‘interclimatic laboratory’.

The scheme is held together by a single ‘platine’; a latticed three-dimensional mega-structure based on a 2.1m frame which acts as roof and walls, freeing the interior space from any need for intermediary support.

The vast interior is subdivided into functions by acoustic partition walls which also create independent, climatically stable units for different functions.

Energy consumption is minimised by recycling thermal outputs between zones. For example, the warm pre-conditioned air from the internal gardens is dispersed to nearby zones for heating in winter.

The interactive skin consists of 14,000 equilateral triangles of different materials which control light, temperature and air flow through the building in response to changing functions on the interior. The envelope includes photovoltaic and solar panels for energy production.

- Location and topography plan

- Floorplan

- Roof plan and elevation

- Long section