Archives de Bordeaux Métropole, Bordeaux, France

The Halles aux Farines, situated on the right bank of the Garonne, was built along with the construction of the first railway lines and is centrally situated amidst a network of tracks. The former warehouse has been transformed into the municipal archives of Bordeaux, and forms the first link with the future eco-district of Bastide-Niel. The industrial history of the site acquires a new interpretation: the storerooms, where the archive boxes are housed, are stacked in the exact location where goods were previously stacked. Each concrete box slides into cantilever above the reading room, which is located on the north side of the building, making the presence of the documents palpable. On the south side, the stepped form of the storage boxes supports the internal circulation of staff. A new perpendicular volume is created for the associated functions: reception, exhibition space, educational workshops and auditorium on the ground floor, offices and restaurant on the first floor. The reading room and the offices have a view onto a landscaped forecourt, which is accessible to everyone.
Client
City of Bordeaux
Architects
Robbrecht en Daem architecten
Program
city archives
Location
Bordeaux, France
Date
2010–2015
Status
Completed
Floor Area
8.670 m2
Team
Paul Robbrecht, Hilde Daem, Johannes Robbrecht, Frédéric De Vylder, Arne Deruyter, Anne-Sophie Van Eupen
Execution Architect
Hobo architecture, Pascal Bruand
Interior Architect
Robbrecht en Daem architecten
Restoration
Robbrecht en Daem architecten
Structural Engineering
Coyne et Bellier, Tractebel Engineering
Services Engineering
Louis Choulet
Acoustics
idB Acoustique
Landscape
Robbrecht en Daem architecten
Infrastructural Engineering
VIA infrastructure
Contractor
GTM Bâtiment Aquitaine
Nominations / Awards
2017 – Palmarès Prix Caisse Des Dépôts Agora 2017, Prix équipements culturels, jeunesse, sports