Some say that renovations of beautiful buildings should be respectful and polite. Some say that they should be assertive or bear a punk attitude. Not choosing would be tepid. Here is an attempt at doing both.
The buildings’ street façade is listed and protected. It is a rather handsome pièce montée, a vertical piling of extensions, that function well together. The back façade, only two-levels high, is uncared for, as usual. The project treats them both with similar means: rejuvenated window frames, old granite, new marble elements, rosy cheeks. If the front one is a layer cake, the back one is an oddly shaped scone. Formless, confrontational, awesome if one knows how to approach it.
The plan revolves around a new concrete chimney piercing through all levels. It serves a fireplace of the ground-floor main room, and organises all spaces in a centrifugal manner. The staircase follows its own meandering route, covered in bright pink, distinct from the mint floors and ceilings. All rooms are treated with the same material palette, bathrooms have just more equipments. Like in sport tracks, bold patterns mark the beginnings and ends of the journey.
