Submission: May 31, 2019
Registration: February 27, 2019
Language: English, French
Location: Paris, France
Prizes: Please see details below
Type: Open
Located in the heart of the French capital, among historical edifices and large Haussmannian avenues, the building of the ‘Chambre des notaires de Paris’ is an emblematic place to the profession in France and house the ‘notaires’ since its construction in 1850.
Over time, however, successive and limited renovations inside the building have cost it its coherence, shattering and complicating its organization. Currently challenged by the important transformations the profession is meeting, this historical building does not seem to fit neither modern methods of work nor the needs of the ‘notaires’.
The Chamber’s members have thus now decided to undertake an overall renovation of the edifice. They chose to organize an architectural competition to select the architecture firm to entrust with this priceless part of their history.
Beyond simply updating the building, the competition demand to deeply redesign it. The project invites to reflect on tomorrow’s methods of work and the opening to the public of the profession of ‘notaires’. Indeed, the Chamber’s members would like to transform the building into a place of innovation, exchanges and interactions with the public. Their final ambition is for the ‘Chambre des notaires de Paris’ to embody the profession’s future.
At the same time, they also want to retain the building’s historical dimension and heritage in which lies all its value – such as the facade, the antique rooms or the grand stone staircase. The renovation of the Chamber represents a perfect opportunity to enhance this legacy.
The whole challenge of this competition will therefore be to find the right balance between building the Chamber for the future and imperatively respecting the historical legacy of this building. Get all information about the competition here.