CITE DE L’OCEAN ET DU SURF
Biarritz, France. 2011
Description +
PROGRAM: exhibition area, auditorium, restaurant, cafeteria and offices
CLIENT: City of Biarritz / Adim Sud Ouest
SIZE: 40,903 sq ft
STATUS: complete
The Cité de l’Océan et du Surf museum intends to raise awareness of oceanic issues and explore educational and scientific aspects of the surf and sea and their role upon our leisure, science, and ecology. The project, designed in collaboration with Solange Fabião, is comprised of a museum building, exhibition areas, and a plaza, within a larger master plan. The building form derives from the spatial concept “under the sky”/“under the sea”. A concave “under the sky” shape creates a central gathering plaza, open to sky and sea, with the horizon in the distance. The convex structural ceiling forms the “under the sea” exhibition spaces. This concept generates a unique profile and form for the building, and through its insertion and efficient site utilization, the project integrates seamlessly into the surrounding landscape.
Ecological Innovation +
Green-space gardens featuring a mix of field and local vegetation
Credits +
architect
- Steven Holl Architects
Solange Fabião, Steven Holl (design architect)
Rodolfo Dias (project architect)
Chris McVoy (project advisor)
Filipe Taboada (assistant project architect)
Francesco Bartolozzi, Christopher Brokaw, Cosimo Caggiula, Rychiee Espinosa, Florence Guiraud, Richard Liu, Maki Matsubayashi, Johanna Muszbek, Ernest Ng, Alessandro Orsini, Nelson Wilmotte, Ebbie Wisecarver, Lan Wu, Christina Yessios (project team)
- Rüssli Architekten
Justin Rüssli, Mimi Kueh, Stephan Bieri, Björn Zepnik (project team DD/CD)
associate architects
- Agence d'Architecture X.Leibar JM Seigneurin
structural consultant
- Betec & Vinci Construction Marseille
acoustical consultant
- AVEL Acoustique
lighting consultant
- L'Observatoire International
HVAC consultant
- Elithis
general contractor
- Faura Silva, GTM Sud-Ouest Batiment
exhibition engineer
- CESMA
structural engineer
- Jacobs Serete
exhibition contractor
- Geroari
exhibition designer
- dUCKS Scéno
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Quotes +
- Frederico Nicolao, Abitare, September 2011 "The focus of our attention should be on Holl’s wonderful architecture, which is as subtle inside, an imaginative recreation of what goes on 'under the sea,' as it is outside, where the building encounters 'under the sky' what is universally acknowledged to be one of the finest stretches of coastline in the world. This interrelatedness of interior and exterior gives the building an impressive directness of statement that visitors can see as soon as they enter the museum, cross the plaza, linger under the portico or walk off across the roof. Wherever they are in this complex they participate in the dialogue between sea and landscape. ... It is striking that Holl, who has already given us a number of site-sensitive buildings, listened so humbly to what the land and seascapes had to say, confirming the impression that his architecture also comes from a profound exploration of context."
News +
Awards +
- 2012 AMERICAN ARCHITECTURE AWARD
- 2011 2011 EMIRATES GLASS LEAF AWARD
- 2011 ANNUAL DESIGN REVIEW
