Integrating Functions within Intersecting and Interconnected Spaces
Located in Montigny-le-Bretonneux as part of the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines new town project, the Arts Academy is a cultural and educational facility established to integrate previously dispersed arts education programs within the region into a single structure. The building is set on a triangular plot between residential developments and infrastructural axes, and is oriented toward the south to establish a relationship with the street. A compact volume is cut and articulated according to programmatic conditions, producing differentiated orientations and intersecting spatial relations. Within this compact form, music rooms, rehearsal studios, recording studios, dance studios, a large performance hall, changing rooms, and underground parking are clearly organized across distinct spatial layers.
The dance studio is rotated along an axis parallel to the road, so that its scale and orientation are clearly expressed from the exterior.
The lobby spans two levels and is visually connected to the lower level, where the performance hall and percussion rooms are located. Rather than separating programs strictly by floors, spatial depth is used to organize relationships between spaces, making the section an important reference for understanding the spatial configuration. Three skylights introduce natural light into the interior, while a central atrium staircase connects the lower and upper levels in a continuous movement. The staircase functions both as circulation and as a visual connection.
In the corridors, exposed concrete surfaces contrast with reflective glass, while timber elements mediate between materials and soften the spatial atmosphere. The facade is composed of vertical glass panels combining reflective and transparent surfaces. A dichroic film applied to the glazing shifts the appearance of the building depending on light conditions and viewing angle, creating a surface that changes over time.
Overall, the Arts Academy is a cultural facility where music, theater, and dance programs are brought together within a single architectural framework. Section, light conditions, and material contrasts structure spatial experience and allow different programs to interact within the same building.
Project: ‘Charles Aznavour’ conservatoire of music, theatre and dance / Location: 1 Parvis Colonel Arnaud Beltrame, 78180 Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France / Architect: Dominique Coulon & associés / Project team: Dominique Coulon, Steve Letho Duclos, David Romero-Uzeda, Diego Bastos Romero / Site supervision: Diego Bastos Romero / Perspectivist: Denis Labanq / Structure engineer: Batiserf Ingénierie / Electricity engineer: BET Gilbert Jost / Fluids engineer: Solares Bauen / Economist: E3 Économie / Acoustics and scenography: Euro Sound Project / Site scheduling, coordination and management: IPCS / Fire safety system: SSI Consulting / Assistant to contracting owner, Project planning engineer: CAP Urbain / Inspection agency and Coordinator for health and safety: Dekra Industrial / Client: Town of Montigny-le-Bretonneux / Programme: 146-seat auditorium, classrooms, theatre rooms, dance studios, music creation studios, percussion room, recording studio. / Use: Education / Gross floor area: 3,346m² / Cost: €9,700,000 / Competition: 2016.11 / Design work: 2017.5~2018.11 / Site work: 2019.4~2022.3 / Completion: 2024 / Photograph: ©Eugeni Pons (courtesy of the architect)
