La cartoucherie

H2o architects went through a second renewal and rehabilitation project of an industrial building listed as Historic Monument in Bourg-les-Valence, southern France. The Cartoucherie is made of a parallel buildings that follow the natural slope of the ground, built in different phases, starting in 1915.

  The first phase of the work led by the town and the architect Philippe Prost allowed for the rehabilitation of the principal building and of the courtyard. H2o continued the process readapting the “R Buildings”, to create working places for the Image Center of the Southern Rhône-Alpes. The architects preserved the qualities inherent to the existing buildings which are modest yet efficient: a spatial generosity bathed throughout by natural light, a repetitive and simple constructive system. The central hall, well lit but without a view, is the living heart of the project, a meeting space for the different companies working there.

The rehabilitation included a complete refurbishment of the outer shell – roof, glass covering and facade –, a new common entrance and an extension on the southern part. The R1 hall has an ellipse-shaped mezzanine, while the R2 hall in the middle functions as a common room with multifunctional pieces of furniture with counter, benches, kitchen and storage. At a lower level there is a data center, necessary to the companies specialized in digital creation, while a shared meeting room is housed in a shed-like space.

La Cartoucherie, Bourg-les-Valence, Valence, France
Program: multifunctional building
Architects: h2o architectes, ID+Ingénierie
Area: 2,420 sqm
Cost: 2,3M €
Completion: 2016