Centre for Choreography and Dance in Montpellier, France

This centre for choreography was accommodated in a former Ursuline convent, which is now a listed structure. A large new studio with a floor area of 270 m2 forms the centrepiece of the development. The old stone north front, facing on to the road, was preserved as part of the historical fabric of the town. The opposite façade overlooking the cloisters is new. The geometry of the new front adheres closely to that of the historical façade, although modern technology and materials were employed. These allow the insertion to be clearly identified as such and establish a dialogue between old and new. The façade is exposed to the sun and was, therefore, designed with a brise soleil construction that provides shading and ventilation and allows a view out from the inside. The welded framework of galvanized steel tubes and flats that supports the façade louvres and the roof adopts the rhythm of the stone arcades on which it rests. The louvres are generally fixed at a set angle, but within this construction are rectangular areas, fitted with movable louvres, that suggest the proportions of the window openings in the historical façades. By means of these louvres, the transmittance of light into the interior can be modulated. The plane of the glazing lies about 60 cm behind this construction. As required by the conservation authorities, the lines of cornices in the adjoining façades were taken up in the new elevation in the form of limestone ashlar blocks bolted to the steel construction.