|
|
|
|
Designed by BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and FREAKS
freearchitects, MÉCA creates a frame for the celebration of
contemporary art, film and performances, giving Bordeaux the
gift of art-filled public space from the waterfront to the
city’s new urban room. They
folds three arts institutions into one cultural loop for
Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
Centrally located between the River Garonne and Saint-Jean train
station, the new 18,000 m² Maison de l’Économie Créative et de
la Culture en Aquitaine, MÉCA, brings together three regional
arts agencies – FRAC for contemporary art, ALCA for cinema,
literature and audiovisuals, and OARA for performing arts – into
a loop, cementing the UNESCO-listed city as the epicenter for
culture. BIG and FREAKS were selected to design the new home for
the region’s contemporary art and culture by the Regional
Council of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in 2012. MÉCA was inaugurated with
BIG Founding Partner Bjarke Ingels, Associate Architects FREAKS,
Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region President Alain Rousset and the
Minister of Culture Franck Riester, with the Presidents and
Directors of FRAC, ALCA and OARA in attendance.
|
|
“The multiplicity of the flows and functions of MÉCA, which
welcomes both the actors of the regional creative ecosystem on
the one hand and activities that enjoy the public on the other
hand, makes the building a dynamic tool to stimulate creation.
BIG perfectly understood the complexity of grouping three
cultural institutions, the circulation between professionals and
the general public, and the insertion of the building within
Bordeaux.” Alain Rousset, President, Regional Council of
Nouvelle-Aquitaine.
The building is conceived as a single loop of cultural
institutions and public space by extruding the pavement of the
promenade to become the ramp that leads into the urban living
room, the façade with glimpses into the stage towers of OARA and
the offices of ALCA, and the rooftop enclosing the sky-lit
galleries of FRAC.
“When a region or a city invests millions in a major new
cultural institution, it often ends up benefiting only the
informed few that already have an interest in the arts. Not only
does MÉCA spill its activities into the public realm and the
urban room, but the public is also invited to walk around,
through, above and below the new cultural gateway. By inviting
the arts into the city and the city into the arts, MÉCA will
provide opportunities for new hybrids of cultural and social
life beyond the specific definitions of its constituent parts.”
Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner & Creative Director, BIG.
|
|
|
|
A series of steps and ramps lead the public directly into the
1,100 m² outdoor urban room at the core of MÉCA, creating a
porous institution for visitors to roam freely between the Quai
de Paludate street to the river promenade. A 7m high MÉCA sign
illuminates the space with white LED lights, like a modern
chandelier at the scale of the urban room.
“The urban room is at once a frame for the artwork, a stage for
the performances, a screening room for the media collections and
most perhaps most importantly, an open room for the urban life
of Bordeaux to invade and engage with the arts. Giant windows
overlooking the urban room offers views to the dance studio of
OARA and on the opposite end, an inclined mirror reflects the
lobby below. The visitors are almost participating in an
installation, just by being there. In addition, large bleachers
on either side of the building invites people to hang out and
enjoy amazing views of the River Garonne and the city.” Jakob
Sand, Partner, BIG.
During special occasions, MÉCA’s outdoor spaces can be
transformed into a stage for concerts and theatrical spectacles
or an extended gallery for sculptures and other art
installations. A permanent bronze sculpture depicting a
half-head of Hermes by French artist Benoît Maire intersects
with the entrance on the riverside, inviting visitors to reflect
on the contemporary culture of the region.
|
|
“Benoît’s Hermes head is placed right where the big public space
cuts through the building, almost as if a giant block has been
pushed through and half the head has been removed along with
half of the building. The piece of the head that is missing is
also the piece of the building that is missing. The missing
pieces are maybe the most interesting parts for the building
because this is where all the public events and activities can
happen, and for the sculpture because that's the part that is
left open for people's interpretation.” Bjarke Ingels.
Upon entering MÉCA from the ground floor, visitors arrive at the
lobby where they can relax in the spiral pit or dine at the
restaurant Le CREM, furnished with red furniture and cork chairs
designed by BIG in reference to the city known for wine.
|
|
|
|
“The three regional entities composing the program are idiomatic
to the French public way of supporting and promoting culture all
over the territory. Working on the MÉCA building in Bordeaux is
a great occasion to cross views and balance between
international references and local issues.” Guillaume Aubry,
Cyril Gauthier and Yves Pasquet, Founding Partners, FREAKS
freearchitects.
A giant periscope by the restaurant and elevators allows
visitors to see the activity in the outdoor urban room and
vise-versa, creating an indoor-outdoor dialogue.
On the same ground floor, those with tickets can enjoy
performances in OARA’s 250-seat theatre featuring flexible
seating configurations and acoustic systems optimized by an
all-black checkerboard panel of concrete, wood and perforated
metal. Upstairs, filmgoers can view screenings at ALCA’s
red-accented 80-seat cinema or visit the two production offices
and project incubation area.
FRAC occupies the upper floors with 7m high exhibition spaces,
production studios for artists, storage facilities, 90-seat
auditorium and café.
|
|
The 850 m² public roof terrace serves as a flexible extension to
the exhibition spaces, allowing future large-scale art
installations and performances to be placed outdoors amid views
of the city and the Basilica of St. Michael.
MÉCA’s façade is composed almost entirely of 4,800 prefabricated
concrete panels interspersed with windows of various sizes to
control the amount of light entering inside and to create a
sense of transparency. The concrete slabs, which weigh up to 1.6
tons, are sandblasted to expose its raw qualities and to texture
the surface with the local sandstone of Bordeaux. Yellow
granules for brightness and warmth radiate the building in the
sun and integrates MÉCA as a familiar yet new vernacular sight
to the city.
MÉCA is BIG’s second project unveiled in France this year,
following the opening of Galeries Lafayette on the
Champs-Élysées, and marks exactly 10 years since the studio
exhibited Yes is More at the arc en rêve centre d'architecture.
Learn more about MÉCA many other BIG projects at our FORMGIVING
exhibition at the Danish Architecture Center in Copenhagen, on
view until January 5, 2020
www.dac.dk/en/exhibitions/formgivning-big
MÉCA FACTS
Name: MÉCA - Maison de l’Économie Créative et de la
Culture en Aquitaine
Type: Competition
Location: Bordeaux, FranceSize: 18,000 m2 / 193,750 ft2
Client: Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Collaborators: FREAKS freearchitects,
Lafourcade-Rouquette Architectes, ALTO Ingénierie, Khephren
Ingénierie, Hedont, dUCKS Scéno, Dr. Lüchinger+Meyer
Bauingenieure, VPEAS, Ph.A Lumière, ABM Studio, Mryk & Moriceau,
BIG Ideas