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A subtle link between yesteryear and today, with perfect harmony between old and new, bolstered by the original treatment of the new building’s southern façade that overlooks the entrance to the village and is intended as a showcase, but which is also heavily exposed to the sun. So the architects had the idea of a second skin with an openwork design that could act as a filter without obstructing or obscuring. All that remained to be done was to determine the material needed to give life to this completely vertical veil. Terracotta quickly became the obvious choice, standing out as an echo of the old building, and Harmattan sunscreen baguettes in particular, combined here in three shades (Red, Red-Orange and Champagne) and carefully arranged in a seemingly random pattern, like a “barcode”, that is repeated once and then reversed in a mirror image.
 
This proved a great success, both aesthetically and technically, involving the combined efforts of all the project stakeholders. In fact, the client, metal structural engineers and Terreal consultants worked collectively on adapting the metal structure and attachment system because of two specific issues: the weight of this colossal 70m2 terracotta organ pipe arrangement and the 2.80-metre distance in relation to the façade, owing to the mandatory installation of a ramp for people with limited mobility. The challenge was met with gusto: the seeming lightness of this double skin is striking as it appears almost suspended in thin air, shimmering in the sunlight.
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