CLIENT
Gargas Townhall

ARCHITECTS
DE-SO
Christine Dalnoky - landscape
BET Bois gaujard, BET TCE BETREC,
INGEFLUX Fluides.

COST
1.5 M €

AREA
180 m² - GFA
4,2 ha - SITE

PROGRAM
Conversion of ochre mines for organized tourist visits and the construction of an open air amphitheatre for art festivals.

FEATURES
The site itself has many unique and startling features.
It is rich in natural minerals: ochre, clay (kaolinite) and ferric rock (iron hyroxide), which has been used as a pigment since prehistoric times.
Other minerals colour the site yellow (goethite), brown (limonite) and red (hematite).
The site is recognised by UNESCO as a biospheric reserve.
It also has a biotope area for rare plants.
The project references the old mines on the site as well as the region’s complex and rich geography and climate.
The site’s raw aesthetics was painstakingly preserved by the architects and landscape designers.