2019 Archive : Chateau La Coste Art Pavilion

Project Details

Fabric 1

PVC Coated Polyester
Producer: Ferrari S.A.
Supplier: Miltons UK

Engineer Name 1
Tony Hogg

Engineer Company 1
Tony Hogg Design

Design Name
Ceri Richards

Design Company
Architen Landrell

Architect Name
Renzo Piano & Dominique Rat

Architect Company
Renzo Piano Design Workship

Fabrication Company
Architen Landrell

Project Manager Name
Bill Brown

Project Manager Company
Architen Landrell

Installation Name
Sam Phipps

Installation Company
Architen Landrell

Please describe the project specifications

Nestled in the landscape of a vineyard in Provence is an Art Pavilion, home to a uniquely special tensile fabric roof.
Part of the Chateau La Coste architectural collection, the pavilion was designed by Renzo Piano to complement and contrast with to the gentle rolling hills of the surrounding vineyards. The building itself is a concrete and glass construction submerged within the ground; only the fabric membrane canopy can be seen, hovering gracefully above the pavilion.

The canopy is formed with a PVC polyester membrane, tensioned over steel arches and cable valleys to create 10 lightweight sails above the glass roof of the gallery. No regular PVC polyester, the material used is Serge Ferrari’s TX30; a polyester base with an advanced PVC coating which is highly durable, low maintenance and in a sleek matt finish

What was the purpose of this project? What did the client request?

The tensile fabric roof primarily functions as shading to the gallery space below but provides so much more than this to the overall look and feel of the building. As Renzo Piano describes it “the sail flies and lands, emphasizing all at once the lightness and horizontalness of the building”.

Renzo Piano himself worked closely with the Architen team to realise his vision. Whilst structural stability was essential, he and his team were very keen for the roof to seem as lightweight as possible from both above and below so slim section sizes were used where possible.

The hopper detail was a specific request from Renzo Piano who wanted to continue the beauty of the structure through all the connection details and functional elements.

What is unique or complex about the project?

The design of the structure was a very collaborative process; using both a traditional design workshop approach and hand sketching of details, and combining this with state of the art 3D printing technology allowed us to develop beautiful details at every junction of the structure. The rainwater deflectors embody this attention to detail; based on the form of a Swallow, the team developed a GRP feature to channel rainwater away from the structure and avoid any splashing whilst still remaining beautiful.

The programme for the project was challenging and required an ‘all systems go’ approach from the Architen team and our subcontractors. Appointed in January 2017, the tensile membrane roof and supporting steel structure was designed, engineered, fabricated and installed by the beginning of April 2017.

What were the results of the project?

Both beautiful and functional, the tensile membrane roof has been praised by designers and critics alike. Sitting alongside creations by Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry and Jean Nouvel, the pavilion stands proudly within its natural landscape and will be an iconic destination for both art and wine lovers for years to come.

Content is submitted by the participant. IFAI is not responsible for the content descriptions of the IAA award winners.