Vauclaire Hospital Centre, Montpon-Ménestérol Building, France, Architect, Image, Design

Vauclaire Hospital Centre, Montpon-Ménestérol

French Health Centre Architecture – design by Arodie Damian Architectures, France

9 Nov 2010

Vauclaire Hospital Centre Montpon-Ménestérol

Date built: 2010

Design: Arodie Damian Architectures

Vauclaire Hospital Centre Building

Location: east of Bordeaux, south west France

Construction of a psychiatric unit and medical management centre in Montpon-Ménestérol (France).

This project involves the construction of a 20-bed admission unit for voluntary commitment and the medical management centre for the “Les Deux Vallées” psychiatric sector in Montpon-Ménestérol.

For this project, we wanted to create a “relaxing” and entertaining architecture in order to play down the stress associated with admission. Residents enter this establishment voluntarily understanding their physically weakened state. Therefore, this building turns its back on austere architecture, which may, by its harshness, “overwhelm” the patient. We have wanted to create a sort of “assembled structure”, the same as a toy which a child might build and, thus, have employed materials with different shapes : zinc for the “bubble”, wood for the accommodation, water green steel for the consultations. Each element in this “large toy-building” presents its own form/matter vocabulary. Located at the eastern end of this complex, the building resembles the stern of the ship. Its curved shape is designed to be a gentle transition forming a link with the straight lines of the existing buildings.

The two wings are covered with weatherboarding, used here as a symbol of warmth to recreate an atmosphere of home. The splayed form of the two accommodation wings has helped to create a secure landscaped garden providing a visual continuation to those of the adjoining building.

The zinc shell built over a laminated and glued timber frame forms the building’s protective visual membrane which provides protection from the inside to the outside and from the outside to the inside. Here, in addition to this symbol, we also wanted to create a visual sign from the visitors’ car park, showing a psychiatric unit which confirms its presence and presents itself as a place of quality.

Vauclaire Hospital Centre – Building Information

Operation: Construction of a 20-bed admission unit for voluntary commitment and medical management centre for the “Les Deux Vallées” psychiatric sector.
Address: Centre Hospitalier Spécialisé Vauclaire – 24700 MONTPON-MÉNESTÉROL – FRANCE
Main contractor: Commissioned architect : Arodie Damian Architectures, All buildings trades and professions : Coteba (Mérignac)
Project Manager: Vauclaire Hospital Centre
Surface areas: 1 491 m² (net area)
Total cost: €2 M excl. VAT
Main materials: Zinc, wood panelling, pre-lacquered sheet metal brise soleil, thermolacquered galvanised steel mashrabiya, metal panelling
Delivery date: Aug 2010

Photos: Dominique Constantin

Arodie Damian Architectures

Arodie Damian Architectures, created in 2001 by Blandine Rougon-Sarlin and Christophe Damian, DESA architects, is an agency based in Paris, Lyons and Bordeaux. It works in the fields of health, the service sector, housing, teaching and culture, paying particular attention to the environmental management of projects.

Vauclaire Hospital Centre, France images / information from Arodie Damian Architectures

Location:Montpon-Ménestérol, France