DUFOUR PAVILLION
CHÂTEAU DE VERSAILLES
VERSAILLES
FRANCE, 2011-2016
CULTURE
PR–517
The reorganization of the reception area at the Palace of Versailles is being carried out from the inside without compromising functional requirements or betraying the spirit of the place.
MEDIAS
022
PROGRAM
Renovation of the Dufour Pavilion to house, on the ground floor, the entrance and reception area for individual visitors and an information center; on the first floor, Alain Ducasse’s Ore restaurant; and in the attic, a 150-seat auditorium with interpreter booths and seminar rooms. The ground floor will house the Réunion des Musées Nationaux (RMN) shop in the castle’s former cisterns, part of the restaurant’s kitchens built in new spaces dug out under the courtyard, and a large marble staircase connecting the pavilion to the Princes’ Courtyard.
Situation
Château de Versailles, 78000 Versailles, France
Year
2011–2016
Status
International competition, winning project
Project area
2 900 m²
Project management
Opérateur du patrimoine et des projets immobiliers de la culture (Oppic) – Établissement public du Château de Versailles, Versailles
Project implementation
Dominique Perrault Architecte
Chief Architect of Historic Monuments
Frédéric Didier
Interior architect and design
Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost
Design offices
Khephren Ingénierie, Inex SAS Ingénierie, RPO, Thomas Vallette, FCBA, Jean-Paul Lamoureux
DESCRIPTION
The intervention marks a clear milestone in the visitor’s journey, while fitting into the complex and still unfinished chronology of the castle. The Dufour Pavilion has been completely redesigned: the attic has been transformed into an auditorium, while an extension has been added under the Princes’ Courtyard. The integration of a glass prism and a new staircase, redefining the geometry of the Princes’ Courtyard, captures light and diffuses it to the lower levels. The ensemble orchestrates a fluid link between the different architectures of the east wing of the palace, while revealing the layers of time that make up Versailles.
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