Association and Civic Hall of Les Brulais | 2023 | Timothée Chateau, France

Category: Community Centers
Project Location: Les Brulais, Ille et Vilaine, 35, France
Architect: Timothée Chateau, France
Design Team: BRA (Simon Masson, Timothée Chateau)
Photographer: BRA (Simon Masson, Timothée Chateau)

Program Overview:
The project involves creating a citizen hall for municipal councils and weddings in the commune of Les Brulais. In addition to this hall, a room is planned to accommodate a bar and storage space. This room will connect the citizen hall to the existing community hall.

An Autonomous Citizen Hall:
The citizen hall is located away from the existing community hall to ensure its functional independence. This separation preserves the institutional character of the citizen hall while maintaining the more festive character of the community hall. Thus, the citizen hall operates as a standalone space, rather than an undefined area.

A Paradoxical Junction Creating Functionality:
The project aims to meet the needs of a multifunctional space. A junction between the citizen hall and the community hall is created through a multifunctional room ("Swiss knife"). This room allows circulation between the two halls, provides a bar and storage space, and creates a shared outdoor courtyard, facilitating the expansion of the interior spaces.

A Plan Opening to the Landscape:
The U-shaped building, with glazed façades facing the courtyard and the orchard, ensures continuity between the interior and the exterior. The bar, located in the connecting wing, is accessible from the circulation linking the two halls. A folding door opens onto the courtyard, allowing the spaces to extend outdoors during the warmer months.

A Typology in Harmony with the Context:
Inspired by Breton farmhouses, the building adopts the form of an open courtyard, typical of local constructions. This layout protects from prevailing winds, simplifies movement between buildings, and maintains control over the courtyard, which served as both a workplace and living space for families. The single-pitched roof slopes toward the courtyard, reducing the sense of height. This cost-effective solution echoes traditional structures like washhouses and impluviums in the region. The roof overhangs to protect the façades from driving rain, and a natural drainage system manages rainwater sustainably, aiding groundwater recharge and preventing flooding risks.

Optimal Orientation of the Citizen Hall:
To manage daylight and prevent overheating in summer, the citizen hall benefits from an extended gable roof that serves as a sunshade. The audience is oriented north, minimizing glare and direct sunlight. A curved wall directs the audience toward the speaker and optimizes acoustics by reducing echoes. This wall also provides storage for lightweight furniture (lectern, microphone, flags, etc.).

Sustainable Design Without Superfluous Decoration:
The project prioritizes the neutrality of the space, avoiding unnecessary decoration. Raw materials – wood, beige concrete, and terracotta brick – are used to create a functional and timeless atmosphere. The assembly of these materials, chosen for their simplicity and durability, addresses changing uses and generations while expressing modesty in its aesthetic.