Site des Marquisats

English translation

The text above is the record as published by the Ministère de la Culture, in French. The English below is a machine translation made by TreeAlive, not by the Ministère de la Culture; it has not been checked by a person. Where the two differ, the original is the record. Report a translation error: privacy@treealive.com

History

When the Marquisats ensemble was built, it succeeded a residential settlement dating back several centuries. After the occupation of the site by the militia between 1943 and 1944, the property was requisitioned at the Liberation to install the Centre populaire des marquisats, dedicated to training and culture. In 1962, the property, with its bourgeois dwelling and its 12 hectares of land, was definitively acquired by the Town to install its MJC. It was quickly decided to replace the buildings with a larger and more modern construction. The architectural design was entrusted to André Wogenscky (1916-2004), disciple of Le Corbusier, who brought the principles of Corbusian architecture, with the architectural promenade as its central theme. For financial reasons, these buildings were constructed in two phases. The first phase (1963-1966/1968) concerns the upper part of the new MJC buildings: a long horizontal volume that brings together the MJC facilities, to which are attached two towers that house the lodgings of the international residential centre. In parallel, the Centre Colbert (now Résidence Wogenscky) was built, somewhat apart, serving as accommodation for athletes of the water sports stadium. The second phase began in 1968 and was entrusted by Wogenscky to Louis Miquel (1913-1987), also a pupil of Le Corbusier. He proposed a building that includes the performance hall, the large gymnasium hall, and various multipurpose rooms, around a hall and above all a system of ramps allowing the floors to be connected rather than separated by stairs. The ensemble was inaugurated in 1974. The buildings underwent transformations following changes in their use: in 1995, the MJC left the premises to make way for the École supérieure d'arts d'Annecy; thus the lower level of the second phase was modified by creating workshops between the pilotis. In 1998, a performance hall mainly dedicated to contemporary music, the Brise-Glace, was attached to building M. Today, the buildings are labelled as remarkable contemporary architecture. They are shared, on one hand, between the former headquarters of the French federation of skiing (Résidence Wogenscky) whose management will be taken over by Haute-Savoie Habitat; and on the other hand, buildings W (phase 1) and M (phase 2) of the former MJC where the spaces of the ESAA (owner the Communauté de communes du Bassin d'Annecy), IDEIS (Haute Savoie habitats), the gymnasium and the Brise-Glace (managed by the town of Annecy) are housed. The standards of accessibility, safety, and respect for ecological transition involving works as well as the concern to preserve and recover the fluidity of the original route and its essential characteristics, a rehabilitation project was entrusted to the agency VURPAS (heritage architects).

Description

The Marquisats site is located on the west bank of the lake, on the outskirts of the town of Annecy, and on the edge of rue des Marquisats, facing the water sports complex; it is backed by a wooded site. It is located in a protected sector. The buildings designed by Wogenscky and Miquel form two distinctive blocks: the block formed by building W with the housing towers currently managed by Haute Savoie Habitat / IDEIS, and building M with the Brise-Glace, located on the southern part and in immediate proximity to rue des Marquisats; and the Résidence Wogenscky further north, higher up and away from the street, and which takes up the architectural vocabulary of phase 1. The site is surrounded by a landscaped garden planted with a few fine tree specimens. Buildings W and M form the most accomplished ensemble from an architectural point of view. Despite the addition of the Brise-Glace a quarter of a century ago, they have retained most of the characteristics desired by their designers, favouring the approach of the architectural promenade in the Corbusian tradition allowing great fluidity of movement and remarkable spatial continuity while being integrated with the landscape by adapting to the topography of the site. Formed of interlocking architectural blocks of raw concrete, the buildings are stepped on the slope without giving an impression of rupture, but instead offer harmonious fluidity between the block of building M and that of building W. From this scheme develop transparencies, openings, setbacks, filters, loggias, obliques and ovoid forms that suggest on the façade the plastic rigour and richness of the interior spaces. The routes inside the buildings are very carefully designed and create unexpected viewpoints. Despite the change in level, the impression of horizontality is preserved through a skilful play of straight lines. The external concrete ramp, the powerful pillars, and the grid of still existing loggias of the residences draw an architecture with sharp geometry that discreet curves occasionally soften. The Résidence Wogensky, consisting of a horizontal block (reception) and a vertical block (former lodgings), and thus closely reproducing the vocabulary of phase 1, still retains the loggias of its windows facing the lake. A recent rehabilitation brought some graphic colours to the treatment of the openings reminiscent of the style of Piet Mondrian. The interiors are greatly altered due to frequent changes in the use of the building.