CCC | PCA - Philippe Chiambaretta Architecte

The Centre de Création Contemporaine-CCE in Tours is a cultural center specialized in contemporary art. Phiilippe Chiambaretta at PCA is the architect responsible for the intervention on the facade. The initial facade was a bare concrete mass. The initial concept was to give the bare facade a “second skin” for which the objectives were: “differentiation communication and exchange”. The form of the second skin was designed deforming a flat with imaginary forces coming from a process of materialization of the encounter between the subjective spaces of individuals. The final design was to slice this flat into 240 custom cut transparent PMMA panels each one equipped with a white LED string fixed to the back of the panel integrated into the structure that fixes the panels to the wall. Main Materials : The 82.4-foot-long facade comprises 150 12.1-foot-high Plexiglas profiles spaced 9 inches apart enough to maintain visual cohesion while providing space for maintenance. Slotted metal brackets hold the 1¼2-inch-thick Plexiglas planks upright and in place. White LEDs are glued with silicon to the back edge of each plastic sheet. To make a backdrop that contrasts with the project’s 150 glowing slivers a dark translucent film over the existing building’s windows was installed and the original elevation was black painted. see also “description of project”