An architectural project, signature of J.M Wilmotte

The international architecture agency Wilmotte & Associés Architectes was chosen as part of this messin project.
Jean-Michel Wilmotte is known for his eclectic approach to architecture, for his great attention to detail and quality, particularly in the choice and use of materials. 

Among its flagship projects, the agency has recently delivered the School of Bar Training in Issy-les-Moulineaux, the headquarters of EPADESA in Nanterre, the Brain and Spinal Cord Institute in Paris and the Allianz Riviera stadium in Nice. 
The project developed by the Wilmotte & Associés agency is based on four ideas: material, verticality, light and space. 

 

Material

The stone of Jaumont is a strong identity figure of the patrimony of Metz. It acts on the Congress Center as a tribute to the local architectural heritage. Thanks to the work around this material, the monolithic aspect of the project is reinforced during the day while it appears as dematerialized at night. A dichotomy is thus created between the massive character and the lightness of the stone, inspired by the Gothic architecture of the Cathedral of Metz. 

 

Verticality

The use of the stone in the form of slender blades over the whole height of the building, gives the latter a more aerial appearance and offers a richer built front. The verticiality of the project's cladding contrasts with its streamlined volume in order to mitigate it. 
 

Light

The treatment of the facade is like a curtain of rock producing a set of cast shadows and natural light conferring some kind of mysticity inside the place. 
 

Space

The project aims at opening up as much as possible to the city. It takes inspiration from the local identity and values it, both by its architecture, but also by the views it offers on the surrounding heritage. The public and circulation areas inside the building naturally lead 
visitors to feed on the strategic and emblematic places of the city: views of the Cathedral, the Pompidou-Metz Center, the train station ... 

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