The (re)Making of… Carré d’Art

Since I was a student in Nîmes, I have admired the Carré d’Art. The building was ahead of its time, with a contemporary art gallery and a municipal library brought together under one roof. I remember the excitement surrounding the opening in 1993 and I have seen this project’s transformative effect on the city first-hand. By re-routing traffic, the pedestrianised realm in front of the building was extended around the Maison Carrée and linked to the city centre. This created a vibrant public space that has become an integral part of the urban fabric.

In 2017, a quarter of a century after the Carré d’Art first opened, Foster + Partners worked with the client, Ville de Nîmes, and a local architect, Luca Lotti, to modernise elements of the building. The practice acted as the guardian of the original design, to ensure that the museum retained its distinctive character, while improving energy efficiency, enhancing accessibility for all and upgrading some of the facilities to meet present day requirements. As the architect of the original building, Foster + Partners was well placed to understand the client’s brief and make informed decisions about which elements needed to be updated.

When the mayor of Nîmes asked us to oversee the project, I was working on Narbo Via, a new museum of Roman antiquities in the nearby city of Narbonne. For a year, I travelled between the two cities and attended design reviews in the practice’s London office. It was a great privilege to spend this amount of time at the Carré d’Art, working alongside Didier Travier, curator of the municipal library, and the city’s mayor, who is a great supporter of the museum. Much like the original project, the refurbishment was highly collaborative and centred on balancing the needs of the various stakeholders.

Our carefully considered structural interventions - including a new natural ventilation system - have improved the building’s energy efficiency and reduced energy consumption by more than 30%. We also built an additional ramp for wheelchair users at the back of the building, so that everyone can experience the Carré d’Art as an urban connection from east to west.

In both the adult and youth libraries, new layouts were developed in response to the way today’s users prefer to work, listen to audio, access materials online, study and relax. The new spatial arrangements ensure that these sections of the library are immediately understandable and easy to use.

To make the bookshop more visible and inviting, we opened it up to the lobby area. Artworks were brought from the museum’s extended collection into the lobby and onto the main staircase, to reinvigorate the heart of the building. The ‘Foster wall’ was also refurbished to improve its flexibility for exhibitions, incorporating support for digital displays, photography, books and three-dimensional exhibits, as well as showcasing a rotating preview of the library's collections and new acquisitions near the press kiosk.

Wherever possible, we retained the building’s original features - such as the ERCO light fittings - which contribute to its distinctive aesthetic. We worked with ERCO to update the fittings, replacing cables and fluorescent sources to make them more energy efficient. During this process, we were also able to increase the warmth of the lighting throughout the building.

To enhance the visitor experience, the library was updated with new technologies and furniture. CD display tables were repurposed as desks and the original armchairs were upholstered with new fabrics. Maintaining and upgrading these existing features resulted in significant embodied carbon savings.

The Carré d’Art’s flexible design - with large spans and offset cores - and its durable concrete structure contributed to the quick and efficient refurbishment process. Throughout the year, the museum remained open to the public, allowing people to continue using the space and facilities.

When designing for a sustainable future, adaptability is essential. Buildings must be able to evolve, to accommodate a range of functional requirements and support the needs of future generations. Flexible, future-proof design extends the lifespan of the built environment and has the potential to significantly reduce carbon emissions.

This project also demonstrates the importance of caring for - and investing in - existing buildings, long after the ribbon has been cut. Good maintenance and sensitive renovations are inherently sustainable. They are essential for ensuring a project’s energy efficiency and eliminate the need for major interventions or entirely new buildings later down the line.

This much loved and well cared for museum and library will continue to serve the people of Nîmes for the next thirty years and beyond.