Regional Center for Entertainment and Arts in Guadaloupe

Regional Center for Entertainment and Arts - Guadaloupe - Laureate 2009

Atelier D launched 3 years ago a partnership with a Guadaloupe based agency named AR Architecture. Together they are working on the development of a construction network that characterizes their improvements in terms of ecological architecture, proposing solutions to the economical, social and environnemental local questions.
Then, several projects are in process today in this part of the world where vulnerability against climatic changes is evident and action for environnement preservation is now urgent.
Atelier D applies here, in hot countries, its researches in high environnemental quality like in its other projects in France or worldwide.
The purpose of such a construction is to territorialize et contextualize the professional training in the cultural field. The place has to symbolize a reverence to patrimony, or more, the integration of the patrimonial to a contemporary conception.

The double skin made of Bamboo expresses here a go back to nature that leads the global conception and plays the part of reinforced solar protection on west frontages thanks to a denser mesh. Bamboo is also used for interior fittings in order to illustrate our architectural ambition.
This technical choice also prevents from the wind effects and perfectly respond to the seismic solicitations.

The building takes into acount the sun tour and the orientation inherent in the wind. It creates comfortable outside spaces. The high and down yards are essential elements to reach this aim.

The audio-visual pole has been partially positioned in the basement, to be protected from the other parts of the center. Nevertheless, it keeps a visual aperture on the landscape and windows for the rooms which need it.
The natural light is available in every work rooms (administration, classrooms...) and as far at possible each room has its own window on landscape.

Daylight captation has been operated depending on the rooms depths (particularly for the dance and music practicing rooms). It also has been handled regarding the orientation of the rooms inherent in the sun tour (solar protection needed on the most exposed sectors).

In a parallel direction, a lot of spaces are provided to work with natural ventilation in order to reduce the energetical consumptions. This is also a way to respond to another important need : to open on the environnement and the outside atmosphere of the tropical architecture.
A footbridge between architectural conception and natural patrimony in the shape of 3 entertaining rocks and an administrative pole that draw a new relief.
The whole center is covered by a bioclimatic coating made of Bamboo and the complex composition of its facets varies depending on the orientation.
This « coat » is of course a visual filter also as a protection from the solar rays, but it is important to see what a strong signal it gives on the site, for a project that claims a global increased awareness about the setting up of a sustainable Bamboo construction network in the West Indies.

Bamboo is a plant that can fix 30% more CO2 than broadleaved trees. The narrowness of its leaves makes the infiltration of the water in the soil easier (twice more than in a broadleaved trees forest). It limits the erosion of the soils (thanks to a very dense root network of 60 centimeters deep) and restores impoverished soils. It is used for the elimination of some soil toxins (phyto-remediation).
Its own qualities set it as a plant with many ecological properties: high easiness of propagation, vigorous regeneration, fast growth, high production, early maturity, with neither fertilizer nor pesticides.

Surface: 6 500 m²
Cost: 13.500.000 euros
Client: Region of Guadaloupe
Stage: Preliminary Design in progress

Program: music pole, dance pole, dramatic art pole, audio-visual pole, public studio, offices, cafeteria
Structure: concrete
Frontage: bamboo (bioclimatic double skin)
Ventilation: natural, and assisted in specific rooms
Systems: photovoltaic option on roof

AR Architecture, representative - Atelier D associates

Regional Center for Entertainment and Arts in Guadaloupe - Laureate 2009 by AD- Atelier-D in Guadeloupe won the WA Award Cycle 7. Please find below the WA Award poster for this project.