Le Perrier, France
Preserving the rustic character of two traditional longhouses, Atelier Ronan Prineau revitalizes and transforms a complex of historical buildings into the Le Sémaphore Cultural Center and Tourist Information Office, narrating the history of a region in the noblest sense, embodying its history, knowledge, and traditions to project into the future and inspire dreams.
The simple and poetic architecture of the traditional longhouse in the town center depicts a strong local identity, built within the marshes.
The two existing longhouses are preserved and exposed, with renovations made to the walls, frames, framework, and roofing.
The stone walls are re-plastered with lime.
Inside, a luminous architecture proposed by new framing preserves the rustic character of the place with a lime-hemp plaster.
Finally, the contemporary extension, with ample glass overlooking its surroundings, is marked by traditional natural materials such as rush.
At the juncture of the two restored longhouses dedicated to the Cultural Center, the contemporary entrance introduces a third vertical element to the village skyline—a new landmark indicating the presence of a public building, bridging the gap between local tradition and modernity.
Even the thatched reed cladding of this semaphore extends this dialogue.
Wooden carpentry, rejointing of exposed stone walls, and traditional tiles, and the treatment of roof edges with the characteristic overhang of tiles capture the bright light of the Marais, clearly establishing the project within the municipality.
At the heart of sustainable development issues, the construction or renovation of buildings in an eco-responsible manner is now one of the priorities of the architectural practice at our workshop.
The choice to emphasize these materials makes perfect sense in light of the history of construction in the marshy territory.
With few resources such as stone, wood, or slate at their disposal, the marshland farmers had to adapt to their environment.
From these constraints emerged the «bourrine vendéenne.”
The project of the cultural center and tourist information office in Le Perrier reinterprets this language by employing all the codes of the traditional “bourrine”.
The use of thatch for the signal placed on a CLT (cross-laminated timber) structure, hemp for insulation, lime plaster for stone protection, and occasionally wood for carpentry, make this building manifest in favor of traditional and local construction.
Project: Le Sémaphore Cultural Center
Architects: Atelier Ronan Prineau
Lead Architect: Ronan Prineau
Structural Engineering: SERBA
Geotechnical Engineering: AGGEOL
Photographers: François Dantart
