The city of Bar-Sur-Seine is located in the Seine Valley 200 km from Paris. The old mill benefits from the Seine. The river is part of a terrain crisscrossed by rivers and adjacent dry valleys. It is this relief that allows the practice of viticulture.
The Aube is indeed in the Champagne Ardenne region known for its vineyards and Champagne, which gives all its identity to this terroir. This culture is possible thanks to the relief conditions but also because of the nature of the soil because they ensure a correct hygrometric rate and helps retain heat. Viticulture is the dominant activity of this rural region.
wrap of feel
vineyards: highlights of the landscape
VEGETATION
Agriculture occupies 68% of the territory Aubois.
Slopes with south-east or south-west orientations and a reasonable gradient are favorable for vine cultivation, leaving hardwood forests (oak and beech) and conifers to grow on steep slopes. The valley is more urbanized with a very close link to the water. Cultural areas, including poplar plantations are found north and south of the city, in the major bed of the stream. The Seine is the true backbone of the city, with different characteristics throughout the city.
In some places the banks are natural, with spontaneous vegetation, as is the case on the site of the mill. The island is marked by lush vegetation.
SOUND
Located on the main axis of the city at the corner of a crossroads, the position of the site is a major asset for which is his visibility. However, noise caused by traffic is a real issue. It is necessary to protect oneself from the noise nuisances, while preserving as much as possible the sounds which make the identity of the site today like the water, the wind...
Sound behavior on the island is strongly influenced by the presence of vegetation and the topography of the site. The Seine also puts a distance between the road and the island, which makes the island a place totally away from the sound universe of the city. The building, and in particular the wooden mill, is totally permeable to external sounds. These are different depending on the levels. The brick construction is only subject to the sound of the turbines that house and will be preserved.
PROGRAM
The geographical position of the mill, at the entrance to the wine-growing zone of the Côte des Bars, as well as its visibility, make this building a strategic element in the establishment and development of wine tourism. Its location above the Seine, as well as the island make this place an important stage of the trip. The site could host a wine MUSEUM In connection with the museum, and for the Baréquéquais also, a CAFE would be installed The mill would also accommodate ACCOMMODATIONS on the upper floors, where the outside sounds are the least noticeable, but also on the island, in the form of very light installations, which would not distort the place. The vegetation is very diversified and abundant, so imagine small huts, in the trees, on the ground, on stilts, which would allow to enjoy the calm of the island.
INTERVENTION
Following observations made about the sounds perceptible in the building, it seems fundamental to link architecture and sounds. The project consists of an intervention in the existing building. All buildings will be treated while retaining the spirit of the place and strong connections that they maintain with the natural elements. The first will is to promote a distance with the road, while maintaining the building frame and the sound of water, already present in the half-timbered building. A volume has just slipped inside the building on its south facade. It is made of glass so as to enjoy the sunshine while resonating the sound of the river that comes through the building. On the north facade of other volumes, of smaller sizes, are punctually attached to the facade. These are made of wood, opaque panels of light shade to create a clear distinction with the old structure. This principle of floating volumes distributed according to the sound qualities of the site, will be applied for the development of the island located downstream of the mill.
FLOOR PLAN
AN AWAKENING OF THE SENSE BY THE WATER
Entrance into the building is through the southern part, at the crossroads. During the day, traffic noise is dense and uninterrupted. In the evening, only the sound of the Seine crossing the building is still heard.
This first auditory experience of the place, as one can live on the site today, stems from the very porous nature of the construction and highlights the very strong link that exists between the building and its context. This close connection is reinforced by the outward views, which are allowed by the structure of the construction of which there remains today only the skeleton. This timber framed work portal gives this monument a great transparency that enters into total contradiction with these elements of solid wood. The brick and reinforced concrete building is a shelter against traffic noise, the ceiling height is much higher. The smell also changes radically since one is in a workshop; only small openings give views of the Seine and the island. The three turbines and the resonance of the sounds on the opaque masonry walls make this room, the atmosphere and the feeling, in opposition to the wooden building. The passage through this construction gives access to the island, where abundant vegetation quickly isolates from the hustle and bustle of the city. Different point-of-view points directed towards the sky bring light and warmth.
Back in the mill, passing again by the building masonry, the rise of a level allows to continue the course in the wooden building. The sound of water and traffic is always present, the views of the surrounding landscape become wider and wider. As the climb progresses, the sound of the wind passing through the building replaces that of cars and water.
The construction being much higher than all those surrounding, since its top floor our view dominates the city and the landscape is totally open. The structure of the building is fully exposed, each structural element is visible. In the building nothing is hidden, everything is guided by the functions that have succeeded one another, nothing is ornament. The building appears totally raw.
It is this raw aspect of the building that is preserved as much as possible. But also the way it puts the senses awake, especially with the many sounds that punctuate the course. These sounds of various natures come from the building itself, but also from the outside and cross more or less the walls, the floors ... according to the nature of these, the sounds are thus constantly transformed.
A gradation from the open to the intimate, a passage from the city and its influences to the interior, is made as the building progresses.
The importance of sounds (source and intensity) also comes from the fact that they make it possible to prioritize spaces and to justify their future uses. The ground floor is crossed by the reach of the Seine, the sound of water is constant; moreover, it physically connects the interior and exterior of the building. This level is completely related to external environments. It therefore seems very difficult to give an inner dimension to this place. Conversely, the last floors of the building are spaces in which one feels more inside, despite the 360 ° views of the landscape.
AMBIANCES
MODELS
