BIG completes spiral Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet in Le Brassus
05/05/2020.
[Le Brassus] Switzerland
metalocus, ANA DIOSDADO
metalocus, ANA DIOSDADO
Next to the original Audemars Piguet workshop, where Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet set their workshop in 1875, the new Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet was completed by Danish architecture firm Bjarke Ingels Group, in landscape of Le Brassus, a village in the Vallée de Joux in the Canton of Vaud, Switzerland.
The new huge building designed by BIG, is a spiral-shaped pavilion rising up with curved glass walls overlooking the valley and a green roof connected to its historic building now renovated also.
In the distance, a small river, the Orbe. In the background, the edge of the Jura forests. Peaceful landscapes of Le Brassus where, always at the first frost, winter unfurled its white cloak. Now, the spring sunshine warming the green hills and shows us this green country landscape.
The new huge building designed by BIG, is a spiral-shaped pavilion rising up with curved glass walls overlooking the valley and a green roof connected to its historic building now renovated also.
In the distance, a small river, the Orbe. In the background, the edge of the Jura forests. Peaceful landscapes of Le Brassus where, always at the first frost, winter unfurled its white cloak. Now, the spring sunshine warming the green hills and shows us this green country landscape.
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG. Photograph by Iwan Baan
Diagramme. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Diagramme. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Diagramme. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Diagramme. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Diagramme. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Diagramme. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Ground floor plan. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Roof level plan. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Programme. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Model. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Model. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
Model. Museum for Atelier Audemars Piguet by BIG.
In this setting where for more than 144 years the remnants of the past are now mixed with the futuristic curvilinear forms, rises the spiraling structure designed by the BIG, (after won an architectural competition, in 2014, hosted by Audemars Piguet to expand its premises).
The new bulding follows the same concepts which seem to have captured the imagination of popular architect Bjarke Ingels, as his building bridge-shaped, The Twist art space in Norway’s Kistefos sculpture park, a literally twisted building whose interior feels something like falling down Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole.
It’s all housed within a double spiral building where the rooms within its meandering interior are also separated by glass walls, allowing full view of the workshop-museum and landscape surrounding. A brass-and-steel honeycomb-shaped sunscreen wraps the exterior to provide shade when needed.
According architect: “It’s inspired by the element in the timepiece that stores and delivers the energy of the clock.” When it opens to the public on June 25, the 2,400 square meter (25,800-square-foot) building will allow visitors to move through concentric circles of exhibition space.
The new bulding follows the same concepts which seem to have captured the imagination of popular architect Bjarke Ingels, as his building bridge-shaped, The Twist art space in Norway’s Kistefos sculpture park, a literally twisted building whose interior feels something like falling down Alice in Wonderland’s rabbit hole.
It’s all housed within a double spiral building where the rooms within its meandering interior are also separated by glass walls, allowing full view of the workshop-museum and landscape surrounding. A brass-and-steel honeycomb-shaped sunscreen wraps the exterior to provide shade when needed.
According architect: “It’s inspired by the element in the timepiece that stores and delivers the energy of the clock.” When it opens to the public on June 25, the 2,400 square meter (25,800-square-foot) building will allow visitors to move through concentric circles of exhibition space.
Project description by Bjarke Ingels Group
In 2014, BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group) won the architectural competition Audemars Piguet hosted to expand its historical premises. The firm designed a contemporary spiral-shaped glass pavilion to complement the company’s oldest building, where Jules Louis Audemars and Edward Auguste Piguet set their workshop, technically a start-up of the old times, in 1875. This architectural combination symbolises the blend of tradition and forward-thinking at the heart of Audemars Piguet’s craftsmanship while honouring its deep-rooted origins in the Vallée de Joux. BIG’s high-concept spiral, seamlessly rising from the ground, offers a pristine setting for the masterpieces of technicity and design which have taken shape, year after year, in this remote valley of the Swiss Jura Mountains.
Traditional workshops, where some of the Manufacture’s most complicated timepieces are still perfected today, have been included in the museum’s spatial experience to bring visitors in close contact with Audemars Piguet’s craftspeople. The Grandes Complications and Métiers d’Art Ateliers, situated at the heart of the spiral, infuse life into the numerous feats of mechanical mastery and design exhibited throughout the museum.
Today, the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet offers a unique perspective of the Vallée de Joux and of the history of watchmaking—an ambitious architectural and museographical project made possible thanks to the creativity and collaboration of a host of experts, including architects, engineers and local artisans, as well as numerous departments within Audemars Piguet. All individuals involved pushed the limits of their craft to reach new heights. This is just the beginning of an ongoing story, it takes time to create a legacy.
The Musée Atelier’s spiral-shaped pavilion, designed by BIG and realised by the Swiss architecture office CCHE, seamlessly rises on walls of structural curved glass. A feat of engineering and design, it is the first construction of its kind to be built at such altitude. The curved glazing entirely supports the steel roof, while a brass mesh runs along the external surface to regulate light and temperature. The green roof further helps regulate temperature, while absorbing water.
In the light-filled new building, ATELIER BRÜCKNER has incorporated a rhythmically flowing route through the exhibition. It starts in the historic building and, going in a clockwise direction, slopes gently down into the heart of the spiral, after which it rises again on the contrary direction – filled with energy like the springs of a watch. Visitors experience the route as a flowing continuum with a composed narration. Each chapter has its own design language and is introduced by an interlude, a mechanical sculpture, or an artistically designed display item. The showcases are positioned within the architecture precisely.
At a workbench, visitors can re-enact the technical and design aspects of this craft as well as the design process. At this moment at the latest, the difficulty of the work that the professional watchmaker does becomes clear. Workshops for "Grandes Complications" and "Métiers d`Art" are integrated with the extended route through the exhibition and can be viewed at any time. The degree of concentration the work requires can be sensed directly; it necessitates craftsmanship of unbelievable precision.
At the centre of the architecture and the exhibition, there is a single watch that has an incredible 21 complications: the "Universelle" is the most complicated watch that Audemars Piguet has ever created. It is presented in a glass sphere, whereby the front and rear are shown as equally valuable views. Eight other watches with Grande Complications are placed around the "Universelle". The design is reminiscent of a solar system with planets rotating around a sun on their orbits. After all, astronomic cycles are what determine the essence of watchmaking.
The spiral has been designed to perfectly integrate the surrounding landscape. The floors follow different slants to adapt to the natural gradient of the land and provide the basis of the museum’s inner layout stretched into a linear continuous spatial experience. Inside, the curved glass walls converge clockwise towards the spiral’s centre, before moving in the opposite direction: visitors travel through the building as they would through the spring of a timepiece.
More information
Architects
Bjarke Ingels Group. BIG. Partners-in-Charge.- Bjarke Ingels, Thomas Christoffersen, Daniel Sundlin, Beat Schenk
Project team
Project Leaders.- Simon Scheller (Project Manager), Matthew Oravec (Project Architect), Otilia Pupezeanu (Project Designer), Ji-Young Yoon (Project Leader, Concept), Rune Hansen (Project Manager).
Team.- Adrien Mans, Alessandra Peracin, Ashton Stare, Blake Theodore Smith, Claire Thomas, Dammy Lee, Eva Maria Mikkelsen, Evan Wiskup, Høgni Laksafoss, Iva Ulam, Jan Casimir, Jason Wu, Julien Beauchamp-Roy, Kristian Hindsberg, Marcin Fejcak, Marie Lancon, Maureen Rahman, Maxime Le Droupeet, Natalie Kwee, Pascal Loschetter, Pierre Goete Teodor Javanaud Emden, Tore Bank, Ute Rinnebach, Veronica Lalli, Vivien Cheng, Yaziel Juarbe.
Team.- Adrien Mans, Alessandra Peracin, Ashton Stare, Blake Theodore Smith, Claire Thomas, Dammy Lee, Eva Maria Mikkelsen, Evan Wiskup, Høgni Laksafoss, Iva Ulam, Jan Casimir, Jason Wu, Julien Beauchamp-Roy, Kristian Hindsberg, Marcin Fejcak, Marie Lancon, Maureen Rahman, Maxime Le Droupeet, Natalie Kwee, Pascal Loschetter, Pierre Goete Teodor Javanaud Emden, Tore Bank, Ute Rinnebach, Veronica Lalli, Vivien Cheng, Yaziel Juarbe.
Collaborators
Local architect.- CCHE Lausanne SA, CCHE La Vallée SA.
Structural engineer.- Dr. Lüchinger + Meyer Bauingenieure Ag.
Façade consultant.- Dr. Lüchinger + Meyer Bauingenieure Ag.
Façade subconsultant.- Frener & Reifer.
Mechanical engineer.- Fondation Pierre Chuard Ingénieurs-Conseils Sa.
Lighting consultant.- Belzner Holmes Light-Design.
Scenography/exhibition design.- Atelier Brückner Gmbh.
Structural engineer.- Dr. Lüchinger + Meyer Bauingenieure Ag.
Façade consultant.- Dr. Lüchinger + Meyer Bauingenieure Ag.
Façade subconsultant.- Frener & Reifer.
Mechanical engineer.- Fondation Pierre Chuard Ingénieurs-Conseils Sa.
Lighting consultant.- Belzner Holmes Light-Design.
Scenography/exhibition design.- Atelier Brückner Gmbh.
Client
Audemars Piguet
Measurements
Pavilion’s total surface.- 2,373 sqm.
Exhibition surface.- 900 sqm.
Number of structural glass panes.- 108.
Load weight supported by glass.- About 470 tons.
Structural glass’ maximum thickness.- 12 cm.
Fabrication time for one glass pane.- 3 weeks.
Public opening.- June 25, 2020.
Location
Route de France 18, CH – 1348 Le Brassus, Switzerland.
Photography
BJARKE INGELS
Bjarke Ingels (born in Copenhagen, 1974) studied architecture at the Royal Academy in Copenhagen and at the School of Architecture of Barcelona, obtaining his degree as an architect in 1998. He is the founder of the BIG architecture studio - (Bjarke Ingels Group), studio founded in 2005, after co-founding PLOT Architects in 2001 with his former partner Julien de Smedt, whom he met while working at the prestigious OMA studio in Rotterdam.
Bjarke has designed and completed award-winning buildings worldwide, and currently his studio is based with venues in Copenhagen and New York. His projects include The Mountain, a residential complex in Copenhagen, and the innovative Danish Maritime Museum in Elsinore.
With the PLOT study, he won the Golden Lion at the Venice Biennale in 2004, and with BIG he has received numerous awards such as the ULI Award for Excellence in 2009. Other prizes are the Culture Prize of the Crown Prince of Denmark in 2011; and Along with his architectural practice, Bjarke has taught at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University and Rice University and is an honorary professor at the Royal Academy of Arts, School of Architecture in Copenhagen.
In 2018, Bjarke received the Knight's Cross of the Order of Dannebrog granted by Her Majesty Queen Margrethe II. He is a frequent public speaker and continues to give lectures at places such as TED, WIRED, AMCHAM, 10 Downing Street or the World Economic Forum. In 2018, Bjarke was appointed Chief Architectural Advisor by WeWork to advise and develop the design vision and language of the company for buildings, campuses and neighborhoods around the world.
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