Contemporary Music Centre Evreux
Contemporary Music Centre Evreux
Contemporary Music Centre Evreux
This Contemporary Music Centre (SMAC) is a new kind of musical complex, consisting of two
auditoriums of very different kinds, linked by a public space called the deck, running from one
side of the building to the other. It is designed on the principle that, instead of being mere
consumers of entertainment, people can construct their own evening, which requires a distinctive
spatial layout.
The site of the building is a corner of the Bel Ebat fairground, on the edge of the historic town
centre. The difficulty lies in the size relation between the new building, essentially small and
non-central, and the fairground, a huge empty esplanade. One of the challenges of the
architecture is to give the building a clarity, an identity and a naturalness that local and national
visitors can appreciate, but also to create a synergy with the fairground activities – fetes, flea
To resist and exist in relation to the vast expanse of the fairground, the structure is tall and dense,
sculptural and autonomous, its identity in contrast with the surrounding buildings. To give the
volume its height, the main concert hall is on the first floor, overhanging the entrance on the
northern side. Because the plot stands at the intersection of two streets, the structure curves
around the hall in an enveloping movement, its upper part extended by the facade of the main
auditorium.
For acoustic reasons, the concert rooms and recording studios are separate concrete boxes. As far
as possible, the annexes and service premises are arranged around the outside to form a sound
buffer. The whole structure is enveloped in a light metal skin, a double wall or over-roof that acts
as an additional acoustic feature. From the outside, the volume is dense, composed of triangular
facets, some of them made of polished stainless steel that reflects the surrounding trees. It is
imbued with a dual internal motion, the movement of the deck that crosses it and the movement
Part inside, part outside, the deck performs multiple functions. It is the unifying factor out of
which the architecture develops. It operates like an immense interior/exterior hall stretching from
the street to the esplanade. On this side, it opens southwards to become a wide porch, an urban
theatre that acts both as a terrace for the club bar and restaurant, and as a stage for outdoor
concerts or shows. The deck is a piece of architecture in its own right, embedded within the
building. To reinforce its interiority and create a warm atmosphere, the floors, walls and ceilings
are faced with plain timber planking, which contrasts with the shiny, metallic envelope of the
exterior.
The different areas of the deck are made of glass. People walking along “music street” have a
view into the hall of the auditorium, into the main recording studio, the glass bay of the first-
floor administration and radio areas, and in particular the club. The building has few windows on
the outside, in order to lend maximum power to the volume of the deck and porch, a wide
opening that invites people to sit on the terrace in the sun. In the porch, we are elsewhere, on the
threshold of the mysterious world of the interior, but still in contact with the reality outside.
The programme is primarily designed for younger people. The architecture is efficient and
“visceral”, devoid of decoration or superfluity. This strange, raw structure, which opens up to
welcome the public and the sunshine, reflects the energy of music, the music of today and of
tomorrow.
• Evreux (Eure)
Client
• Evreux municipality
Project management
• Inex, fluids
• Batiserf, structure
• Lasa, acoustics
Area
Costings
• Soon in progress
Programme
• Rehearsal studios
• Artists’ residence