Square and Distribution of the Environment of the Cathedral, Reims, France

Competition 2003. 1st prize

This project was developed in two different periods. The first stage corresponds to a Tender in 1992, which set the principles that were later developed by the 1993 Tender, which included the construction of the first phase, i.e., the square opposite the Cathedral. The main difficulty arose from the modifications carried out after the Revolution with the aim to isolate the Cathedral from its nearest surroundings, to theoretically emphasize its monumentality. Yet, the resulting effect was the opposite, due to the loss of scale as a consequence of the modifications. This characteristic became more accentuated by the destruction of the medieval fabric after the bombings in 1918 and the subsequent isolation of the cathedral building.

The project seeks a restoration of the building scale within its nearest surroundings; the pre-existing residential fabric remained untouched. As a result of the above-mentioned actions, platforms, differences in levels, sculpture elements and garden landscaping actions were implemented with the aim of altering the public areas.

Authors: José Ignacio Linazasoro, Thienot&Ballan Architectes
Collaborators: Ricardo Sánchez González, Hugo Sebastián de Erice, Philippe Zulaica