Redeveloping the individual visitors' reception area in the Dufour Pavilion and the Vieille Aile (Old Wing) is one of the major projects in the "Grand Versailles" master plan.
The architect Dominique Perrault was commissioned to design the layout for the future reception area measuring 2,700 m².
 

Project description by architects

The “Grand Versailles” Master Plan.
The “Grand Versailles”, a huge restoration, redevelopment and modernisation programme in the Palace of Versailles, was launched in 2003. One of the main objectives of this ambitious restoration programme was to improve visitor reception conditions.

Renovation work that will respect the old buildings.
The architect and town planner Dominique Perrault was commissioned by the Palace of Versailles to oversee the renovation of the Pavillon Dufour. The method Mr Perrault recommended to respect all the historic and architectural heritage of this part of the old palace was particularly appealing.

Dominique Perrault planned to dig a trench in the Cour des Princes, along the Old Wing (Vieille Aile), to house a large embedded staircase. He preferred this option to that of doubling the façade of the Old Wing on the Cour des Princes side.

The Pavillon Dufour underwent considerable alterations in the 19th and 20th centuries, particularly to house part of the staff offices. The very few remaining historic elements will still be kept. The windows, doors and roofing will also be restored.

The architectural project.
The opened-out ground floor will include the admission desk, information and visitor guidance. It is the departure point for the various tours of the Palace and opens directly on to the Main Courtyard (Cour Royale).

A comfortable circulation space will be installed in the basement of the Pavillon Dufour. With an indoor height of 4 metres, it will be lit by natural daylight thanks to the glass guardrail created by the large staircase embedded in the trench of the Cour des Princes. This area corresponds to the exit point of the tour of the Palace and will provide access to the gardens.

An auditorium seating 200 and a tearoom will be installed on the first and second floors. These will be freely accessible to the public, even if they are not visiting the Palace.

Un Château, deux entrées.
The redevelopment of the Pavillon Dufour and the Old Wing is the last stage in the installation of a simplified visitor reception area that will be more accessible and easier to get around.

Visitors come into the Château via two monumental entrances that are easy to find: on the right the Pavillon Gabriel for groups and on the left the Pavillon Dufour for individual visitors. The Pavillon Dufour has also become the unique exit point for all visitors.

This project is designed to cope with a minimum of 4 million visitors annually. The aim is to be able to receive up to 5 million visitors a year.

The installation of the staff offices in the nearby Grand Commun in February 2013 was the starting point of the renovation work. The new reception area is due to open in summer 2015.

 

CREDITS.

Architect.- Dominique Perrault Architecture, Paris
Engineering.- Khephren Ingénierie S.A. (structures) INEX SAS Ingénierie (mechanical engineering)
Loclient.- OPPIC - Château de Versailles
Built area.- 2,700 m²
Program.- Reception, cloakroom, tea room, meeting rooms and auditorium (200 seats).

Read more
Read less

Dominique Perrault (1953), architect from the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris (1978) and Higher Diploma in Towm Planning (1979) from the same university, based its office in 1981 in Paris, and currently has two international offices in Geneva and Madrid. He has been professor in several Architectural Schools, as the one of Rennes, New Orleans, Chicago, Barcelona, Brussels or Zurich and his work has been exhibited in museums all around the world..

Figure of French architecture, Dominique Perrault gained international recognition after having won the competition for the National French library in 1989 at the age of 36. This project marked the starting point of many other public and private commissions abroad, such as The Velodrome and Olympic swimming pool of Berlin (1992), the extension of the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg in (1996), the Olympic tennis centre in Madrid (2002), the campus of Ewha’s University in Seoul (2004) and the Fukoku Tower in Osaka, Japan (2010).

He is member of the Grand Paris scientific council, was appointed curator of the French Pavilion in the 12th Architecture Biennale in Venice (2010), being the subject of the installation METROPOLIS ?.

Among the prizes he has been awarded with, the AFEX Award for the Ewha Womans University in Korea and the “Grande Médaille d’or d’Architecture” from the Académie d’Architecture in 2010, the Mies van der Rohe prize (1997), the French national Grand Prize for Architecture (1993) and the Equerre d’argent prize for the Hotel Industriel Berlier (1989).

The body of his work was assembled in a monographic exhibition: “Dominique Perrault Architecture” exhibited at the Centre Georges Pompidou in 2008 and later made and itinerant show that travelled to Madrid (ICO Foundation, 2009) and Tokyo (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, 2010). In 2015 he was awarded with the Praemium Imperiale prize, by the imperial family of Japan and Japan Art Association.

Read more
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...
Loading content ...