Municipality Headquarters – Saint-Martin-de-Ré, France

Facing the Atlantic Ocean, the outpost of the city of La Rochelle, Ile de Ré is connected to the continent by a 3 km bridge. Today it has become one of coast’s biggest tourist hotspots.

The port and the citadel of Saint-Martin-de-Ré, the largest town on the island, were fortified by Vauban in 1681. Located inland, the 18th-century Saint-Honoré Hospital has been officially declared a national historic monument. This project encompasses the restoration of the Saint-Michel wing, at one time called the “great hall of the sick”, to house municipal and community association offices. The main entry is restored to its initial place on the southwest façade. The elimination of the modern-day chapel and funerarium on the ground floor and the cubicles on the upper levels resituates the intrinsic qualities of the original volumes. Like other hospitals of the period, the building features large, high windows that provided ventilation and indirect light for the vast interiors. These house conference rooms that take the form of independent boxes dispersed throughout the three levels of office space. The restored monumental staircase leads both to the three main levels and to five interstitial levels at the head of the building. An adjacent elevator runs up through these five levels and is connected to the main floors by newly designed catwalks that cut through the stairwell. On the two main upper levels, the floor is in part raised to allow for the insertion of mechanical equipment. This shrinks the space under the windows and allows the users to enjoy panoramic views of the town, the fortifications and the sea beyond.