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Cité du vin de Bordeaux
La Cité du Vin is a new museum and exhibition centre dedicated to the appreciation and promotion of the French wine industry. Situated at the junction of the Garonne river and Atlantic Ocean in Bordeaux, the centre aims to reinforce and celebrate France’s long heritage of wine making.
XTU - ©Julien Lanoo
Architect X-TU Architects (Anouk Legendre & Nicolas Desmazières) Location Bordeaux - France Company involved Euramax Coated Products - Alucoil Website www.euramax.eu - www.alucoil.com/europe
The stunning design was created by Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières, partners at X-TU Architects. Their goal was to create a strong and audacious architectural landmark inspired by grape vines, wine glasses, and the fluidity of wine itself.
X-TU created the building in two parts. A low level follows the nearby Garonne, while the building’s 55 metre tower appears to twist up into the sky like a grape a vine.
Clad in more than 6,000 square metres of pre-painted aluminium and 900 panes of glass, the curved surface of the building is completely smooth. Although the architects initially proposed to clad the structure entirely in glass, pre-painted aluminium proved to be a more cost-effective choice, particularly when it came to achieving the building’s delicate curves.
Three types of pre-painted aluminium were utilised in the façade: Larson panels from Alucoil (Spain) and Revalu and Revbond panels from SAB-FCB (France). Each panel was finished in Pyrite Gold Silver by pre-painting specialist Euramax. While the colour is standard, the finished metal received a special treatment to reinforce the brightness and protect it from the local maritime climate.
Pre-painted aluminium was also easier to transport and place thanks to its low weight. It also meant that standard formats (typically 3 x 1.5 metres) could be utilised. However, each panel still had to be adapted to follow the curves of the design. The panels were applied to a Glulam (glue-laminated) wooden framework.
Another key advantage of pre-painted aluminium was that it allowed the panel installer SMAC to reduce the gaps between panels, creating a smoother surface than if glass had been used. The panels were also easier to perforate or emboss, and are very durable. It’s also a simple process to replace a panel if any become damaged or discoloured.
Special pre-painted aluminium ‘fish scale’ cassettes were created to cover ventilation access points. While allowing air into the building, this innovative solution minimises any visual disruption to the building’s smooth form.
X-TU Architects worked together with the English interior design agency Casson Mann to create a stunning interior. Again inspired by wine and grape vines, the fluidity and colour of the interior also reflect the Garonne which flows just a few metres away.
La Cité du Vin was opened by French President Francois Hollande in May 2016 and officially welcomed its first visitors on 1 June. The centre employs around 250 people and is expected to receive almost half a million visitors in its first year.
