La Cité du vin – Bordeaux (33-France)

Between vaults and volutes, TeboPin plywoods hold a place of choice inside the Cité du Vin de Bordeaux and its facilities.

THE PROJECT

Intended to be a unique place to transport the visitor to discover the world of wine by focusing on emotions, sensations and dreams, the Cité des Civilisations du Vin is a project with multiple stakes for the city of Bordeaux.

The building rises between land and river in the Bassins à Flots district of Bordeaux (33 – France). The XTU agency of Nicolas Desmaziere and Anouk Legendre (Paris – 75 – France) signed an original project, all in seamless roundness: “This building does not resemble any known shape because it is meant to be an evocation of the soul of wine, between the river and the city”.

THE BUILDING

The choice of materials, industrial and technical solutions and service providers is part of a building approach built according to HQE (High Environmental Quality) standards.

GTM Bâtiment Aquitaine (a subsidiary of Vinci Construction), a group of around 40 companies representing 20 trades, has undertaken the construction of this highly technical and mobilizing building:

• 300 piles of 50 to 120 cm in diameter implanted in the ground to ensure anchoring in the rock at a depth of 30 metres.
• 9,000 m³ of concrete for its concrete framework
• 600 arches in glued laminated timber for its wooden framework
• 4,000 m² of plywood panels
• 2,500 composite panels of different shapes and sizes constituting the metal cladding
• 3,000 screen-printed aluminium panels
• 900 glass panels constituting the glass clothing
• Cut to size and numbered, the TeboPin plywood panels were arranged like a giant puzzle to cover the arches and other curves of the construction.

KEY FIGURES

• 14,000 m² SHON (10,000 m² usable space)
• 55 m high, with the highest point being the Belvedere, which offers a complete panorama of the city of Bordeaux and its vineyards.
• 1/2 day for the visit of the City, 2 to 3 hours for the only visit of the Permanent Route
• 425,000 visitors expected per year, 80% of whom are tourists
• 750 m² of temporary exhibition space
• 250 seats in the auditorium
• 750 jobs created
• Project value (2011): €63 million

Dig deeper :

Contracting authority: The city of Bordeaux, Lordculture

Funding: European Union via the ERDF, State, Aquitaine Region, Bordeaux Urban Community, City of Bordeaux, Bordeaux Interprofessional Wine Council, Bordeaux Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Gironde Department.

All about the project: Cité du Vin, Bordeaux (33)

Architectural agency : xtu

Set Design Agency: Casson Mann Limited