Sainte-Maxime Cultural Centre

 

Location

Sainte-Maxime, FR

Client

City of Sainte-Maxime

Summary

500 seat auditorium, three cinemas – 120, 100 & 80 seats, library and support facilities.

Area

5 000 m²

Cost

£4 700 000

Date

July 2004

Description

Our proposal envisions the new cultural centre around an internal oasis of foliage and water.
 

The site is an old quarry, whose perimeter enclosure is around twenty meters high. It is directly accessible from the road used by hordes of summer tourists who make their way to Sainte-Maxime and her more famous cousin Saint-Tropez.
 

The building’s program is arranged in a large circle nestled within the confines of the quarry, arching towards the south it reveals the oasis within. The large volumes of the cinemas and performance hall hover above, providing shaded areas in the oasis. A glazed circulation route varying in height follows the slope of the site within the building. From here, the oasis and the edge of the quarry are simultaneously seen - as one moves from the cafeteria to the cinemas, or from the library to the performance hall.