The three houses along the Grand Rue have borne witness to a long local history. In part, their structure stems from the 17th century, while the 18th century decisively influenced their exterior appearance. Traces from more recent times are also present. For the past 20 years, the houses were vacant. Despite the decrepit condition of the buildings, the layers from various epochs chronicle their historic origins. This was reason enough for the municipality to renovate the building ensemble, named Maisons Duc, after a previous owner, and to provide multiple new uses: art, culture, work and dwelling.
The art gallery "Oblique" is located on the ground floor, studios for artists with handicaps are situated on the floors above, and further above, there are three apartments. For the purpose of the renovation, six regional architecture offices were invited to participate in a competition, won by GayMenzel. The architect couple lives in the immediate vicinity and knows the place and its history very well. The Celts had originally settled here, and the Augustinian abbey, considered one of the earliest in the Occident, had a defining impact on St-Maurice. The abbey is located west of Maisons Duc. Along what is actually the rear of the buildings, various additions were created throughout the years. The houses were originally much narrower. Thus far, their historic western facades had been preserved and integrated into the interior spaces. The old additions, however, were demolished and replaced with a new construction. The northern facade makes the interplay between new and old visible. Here, a new reinforced concrete surface meets the bulging wall of the existing building. The architects emphasize this transition with a sharp, protruding edge, folded back along the pedestal. Yet, they also obscure the transition by setting a window typical for new construction into the old wall of the building. It consists of a prefabricated, reinforced concrete element with a central post referring to historic window partitions. Instead of protruding fascia typical for the existing building, new windows feature recessed borders. The subtle dialogue between what was found on site and what was added later on characterizes the project in many instances: inside the gallery space, tiles from the 18th century were integrated into the flooring and a newly-built heavy wooden counter serves as a display cabinet. One staircase features capitals from the 5th century that were found during construction, as well as a cast iron fireplate with the crest of the House of Bourbon. Elements from different epochs, such as the 18th century wood cladding, the 19th century wallpaper and successive amendments were adopted by the architects, in part reused and in part served as a source of inspiration. As the paint finish for a wood-panelled studio space, they selected "glauque", an historical colour, a "melancholy blue" as Götz Menzel calls it. Old doors were a further important design element: stored in the basement, repaired, painted in delicate pastel tones and featuring hand-forged hardware, they grace the entrance to the studios on the upper floor and conceal cabinets and wardrobe. An old wooden window frame is a reminder of the limits of the original house. Through its glass, you can now see the two-story gallery space, explicitly bridging the gap between past and present. Kitchen tiles arranged here in the past are still visible in certain areas. The quarry stone masonry was exposed and cleaned, stucco layers in part remain. Natural daylight is introduced into the room through the multiple, precisely angled shapes of a tapered concrete skylight, citing the chimney above a fireplace that had penetrated the roof in earlier days. The door reveals also deserve a second look. Formwork panels that recall historic wood boards were used here, and their surface structure is imprinted within the concrete walls.
The largest gallery space, enclosed completely by exposed concrete surfaces, spans two stories and is located in the new part of the building. The roughly cast walls in combination with the precisely built base give the space an individual and special atmosphere. On the exterior, the arched aperture seems surprising. Viewed from behind the rectangular double-leaf glass door, its shape becomes obvious: when you look past it, the gaze is directed towards the arched main entrance of the abbey. The dimensions of this aperture are defined by the size of the exhibits. In comparison, the entrance door leading to the apartments seems modest and small. Following an exposed concrete staircase, residents first reach an interior courtyard seemingly cut into the building volume. Located on the second floor, it serves as a common space and accesses two of the apartments. The apartment above can be reached by a broad access balcony, similar to a loggia. Due to structural concerns, timber was used for the construction of the new residential spaces. Timber is also the dominant material in the interior attic spaces. The apartments below predominantly feature bright, smooth surfaces. This is also where new and old construction interlock. Wood paneling in the historic spaces was renovated painstakingly, while new inbuilt elements feature timeless details. In the apartments, as throughout the building, the architects created a design that transcends architectural fashions.
