© Daniel Osso
Architects: Clermont Architectes
Location: Ferney-Voltaire, France
Collaborators: Ion Moreno, Maria Campos Piera
Engineers: Bem Ingénierie – Fluitec – SJA
Economist: Cosinus
Photographs: Daniel Osso
© Daniel Osso
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This farm building dating back to the 16th century has a particularly rich history. Today, this adventure is continued by the rehabilitation of the Theatre du Châtelard.
The farm, composed of dwelling places, barns, stables, ovens, gardens and orchards, became Voltaire’s property in 1759; the latter undertook improvements in order to house there the domestics of his nearby castle.
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Requisitioned by the army during the Revolution , the buildings were used as a guard-room and a bakery. During the 19th century, the farm went back to its agricultural purpose, until it stopped its activity in 1988.
In 1991, the Theatre du Châtelard was created and set up inside the main barn ; it was then closed in 2001, for security reasons. A project was launched in order to entirely restructure the theater.
© Daniel Osso
The project respects – and takes advantage of – this witness of the local farm architecture. But it is also a modernly equipped facility, in order to face the constraints and the rules of our time.
Because of the operation’s very tight budget (643 000 euros without taxes), the structure plays an important aesthetic role; the materials are often left unfinished, as well as the technical equipment.
