Conceptual study for the renewal of the vicinity of the Cathedral – CHARTRES (Eure-et-Loir)
RetourCompletion year 2011
Contracting Authority Municipality of Chartres
Mission Completing a conceptual study of the neighbourhood and vicinity of the Cathedral
Project Management Team Town-planners Forma6 (mandated agent), Landscape architects and designers Laure Planchais, Museographer Michel Brand’honneur, Town-planner Michel Cantal Dupart, Tourism engineers IDEA Recherche, and Consulting engineers ARCADIS
Surface area 7 hectares
Budget €2.2m exc. VAT
Ratio €200 exc. VAT per m²
A listed UNESCO “World Heritage” sites, the Chartres Cathedral had been experiencing a gradual decline in the quality of its immediate surroundings and was threatened with being unlisted. The study’s objective was to explore the area’s potential for regeneration, including both the city’s historical centre and the under-exploited potential economic opportunities, especially in terms of tourism. The project concluded on the need to deploy a rediscovery of the city’s history from the Roman era (with a small underground museum), and to put a new spotlight on public spaces to the benefit of pedestrians. The suggested method calls on a contemporary interpretation of medieval illuminated manuscripts, especially regarding the choice of plants: creepers and symbolic plants, and colours like vines, roses, lilies, apple blossoms, blue, red and more.