MoCo, Museum of Contemporary Art of Montpellier

Mission : Conception and storytelling 

client: PCA-STREAM

On behalf of PCA-Stream architects, we developed an innovative concept proposal in order to redevelop the Hotel Montcalm, a former military building, into a centre for contemporary art. 

This new place will soon become a cultural driving force for the surrounding neighbourhood while federating the art scene in Southern France, and embodying Montpelier’s ambition as an international cultural destination. The MoCo is in phase with a younger generation’s aspirations towards collective appropriation and co-production.

The re-enchantment of the Hotel Montcalm will be done through artistic interventions looking to transform functional into fictional. Three sequences punctuate the visit : the Magic Garden (le Jardin magique) which revisits the space of Arab-Andalusian inspiration designed for the previous project, proposing a sensorial and poetic experience to visitors; the Re-enchanted Hotel (l’Hôtel réenchanté), emphasising on the patrimonial elements and the diverting of a classic writing of the space via contemporary interventions; and finally the Festival Court (la Cour des fêtes), that takes advantage of the potential for events in this illustrious courtyard and its overhead balcony.

Program : Contemporary art center, bar-restaurant, modular exhibition spaces, garden / Surface : 3200 sqm