Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie (6/5/2022)
I guess, as an epicurist, I couldn’t resist talking about this interesting project by Bechu et Associés, also known for the Tower D2 at la Défense in Paris.
On 6 May 2022, the new Cité Internationale de la Gastronomie et du vin in Dijon was officially inaugurated. After ten years of development, the complex has the ambition to bring to life the Unesco-recognized values of French gastronomy.
‘Le canon de lumière’ with its COR-TEN steel cladding represents the great signature of this Cité. Weathering steel that was chosen to echo the tones of the glazed tiles of the Burgundian roofs. “With this play of materiality, we have already reintroduced the contemporary parts with the ancient parts. We found a loving discourse in the color and it allowed us to have the visual link between the old and the new parts”, enthuses Anthony Bechu. With its mass and strength ‘Le canon de lumière’, which houses the Ferrandi school, becomes part of the landscape and strongly marks the identity of the Cité internationale de la Gastronomie.
“We had to remove visually the railroad line, which was a scar on the landscape”, explains Béchu. The parking lot designed by the architect Pierre Azéma, a marvelous achievement inspired by the glazed tiles facing the Cité, allows the slope to be dressed and to live otherwise than by a caesura and a scar. Inside, there are no concrete walls, but long-span metal beams that allow air to pass freely and offer a prime view of the roofs of Dijon. On the outside, the facades are covered with criss-crossed aluminum sheets laid in a flag pattern.
Photo M. C.
About the Author:
Bruno Dursin – Managing Director at Believe in Steel. Bruno has more than 30 years of experience in promoting steel & steel solutions. His clients benefit from his extensive network within the building industry.
