Steven Holl Architects international competition-winning design for the Angers Collectors Museum and nearby hotel in the historic city of Angers, France is an example of architectural history influencing and being paid homage in modern architectural projects. Their design — via collaboration with developers Compagine de Phalsbourg — takes inspiration from the nearby 9th century Chateau d’Angers fortress, and aims to create the city’s new cultural gateway. The museum’s exposed titanium and concrete connects to the linear hotel with a weaving clear adn translucent glass facade — inspired by the 14th century Apocalypse Tapestry on display at the Chateau d’Angers. But the historic connections don’t stop there; there will also exist a sereis of reflecting pools that will reference the river that used to consume that same site.
Located along the east bank of the Maine River, the Angers Collectors Museum will be adjacent to the historical Chateau d’Angers fortress and the Le Quai theater, with the triangular placement of the three structures forming the city’s new cultural area. The main building itself will feature a centralized atrium area, with galleries for both permanent and temporary exhibitions and spaces for art education and storage (hopefully not at the same time). The museum also features elements of sustainable and green design with a geothermal heating and cooling to eliminate the use of fossil fuels and the use of recycled water to fill and refill the aforementioned reflecting pools. Along the exterior and at the center of the site (where the hotel and museum meet) is a public sculpture garden to form a node connecting the building site and the city to the nearby river.
(Thanks Steven Holl Architects)
