Art & Architecture
article | Reading time3 min
The reception building at the Pair-non-Pair cave has been awarded the "remarkable contemporary architecture" label!
Contemporary architecture for a prehistoric site
A building integrated into the landscape
The reception building was commissioned by the Ministry of Culture and managed by the DRAC Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Designed by Bordeaux architect Patrick Hernandez, it was built between 2005 and 2007. It was inaugurated in 2008 in the presence of the Regional Prefect, F. Idrac, and the Chairman of the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, Christophe Vallet.
The building is made from noble, unfinished materials, with solid oak posts alternating with concrete walls featuring the grain of the formwork wood, the glass of the display cases, the copper of the roof and the steel. It forms a transition between the past and the present. By following the slope of the land on which it stands, it implicitly guides visitors towards the cave, offering them a journey through time...
Patrick Hernandez himself describes it as "an observation platform, part enclosure, part dwelling, sloping down the slope between the car park and the cave, conceived as a passageway through the time of early humanity. The floor and the roof incline in a parallel movement along the axis of the visit...".
© Olivier Huard/Centre des monuments nationaux
Half-enclosure, half-housing
This building offers visitors a warm welcome and displays some of the collections unearthed during the archaeological digs in the Pair-non-Pair cave. The display cases, visible from both inside and outside, offer a 360° view of these original pieces. Accessible from both sides, they are reminiscent of the famous biface , an emblematic tool of the Palaeolithic .
These showcases display part of the lithic and bone industry , as well as elements of fauna discovered by F. Daleau. These authentic remains provide an insight into the very long period of human occupation recorded at Pair-non-Pair, and pay tribute to the exceptional archaeological digs carried out by François Daleau.
In 2020, the building was awarded the "Remarkable Contemporary Architecture" label for its innovative character, which confirms the recognition of its designer and the exemplary nature of the work as a contribution to public policy.
© Olivier Huard/Centre des monuments nationaux
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© droits réservés
© droits réservés
© Olivier Huard/Centre des monuments nationaux
© Olivier Huard/Centre des monuments nationaux
© Olivier Huard/Centre des monuments nationaux