2016 Romain CordonnierRomain Cordonnier & Gatien Grégoire - La Patinoire
La Patinoire Concert hall by Gatien Grégoire and Romain Cordonnier

The reconversion of a building such as the old palace celebrations of Coronmeuse in the north of Liège is a constructive and programmatic challenge but not only. The purpose of the project is also to ressurect a building that crossed the XX century and was deeply rooted in the collective memory of the inhabitants of Liège since 1939.
In this reconversion it was important for us to create a subtle blend of old and new to give it a second life.
The program had to be at the height of the building, from this point of view, we decided to reconvert it into a concert hall with a capacity for 3000 people.
The goal was, by using the aura of the building, the reconversion program and a new architectural identity, to create the new place to be for spectators and artists. In addition, we ensured quick and easy accessibility with major highways connecting Belgium, Netherlands and Germany.
For the global scale, the challenge was to reconnect the building to its site through a global landscape intervention and to recreate the link between the park and the Meuse
In the project, the volume that hosts the concert hall take place in the main hall wich has an area of 3600 m2. Another key pieces of the intervention involves the reuse of the entry and the existing main staircase as the venue for connecting people together. The project lives from the inside.
The building opens a new chapter of his book while keeping its original architectural identity. In summary, our response is respectful of the place, its spirit, its history and its identity while promoting dialogue architecture of the past and present to offer a programming and a new experience for users.

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