Cinematheque and Multimedia library

The building of the Cultural Center houses a Multimedia Library, a Cinematheque with three cinema rooms, an exhibition room and a literary café. An active presence within the urban planning of Saint-Malo, the building opens a plaza and outlines an outdoor amphitheatre. This original and modern solution reflects the challenges of creating a new urban center.

The travel motif selected by the city for this Multimedia Center has translated into a building conveying motion: the multiple ripples of the ground and the built volumes create flowing spaces with dynamic outlines. Its silhouette recalls the marine landscape and the sails of ships leaving the neighbouring harbour on a journey of discovery. This dynamic pathway provides a great diversity of perspectives and emotional responses, in tune with the multimedia and information flows underlying the project’s purpose.

The building is both contextual and self-contained, contributing in shaping the structure of the main city artery while proclaiming the strong identity conferred by its architecture. The structures of the two cultural entities unfold and overlap in an inverted upward movement, mirroring the city axis: the curve of the media library rises towards the sea, and the cinema building towards the hinterland. The day-to-day events, the cultural activities and the special events are amplified by the graceful setting, enhancing the attractiveness of the facility and of the venue, day and night, all year round.

This Cultural Center is a conclusive example of an environmentally effective facility. The two buildings are covered with green roofs connected by a long aerial belt covered with photovoltaic panels, while their heating is “tapped” from the underground geothermal energy.