published in l'Arca International n. 155
6Mic, Salle des Musiques Actuelles et Contemporaines du pays d’Aix, Aix-en-Provence, France Project: Rudy Ricciotti
© Lisa Ricciotti
6Mic this new and very contemporary music hall includes a modular concert hall holding an audience of between 960-1500 (1000 m²), a club hall with seating for 400, 5 rehearsal rooms, an artists’ centre, an administration centre, a bar-restaurant, a bookshop area, two patios and underground parking for 230 vehicles.
© Lisa Ricciotti
By Rudy Ricciotti
"The site was handed over to us…There were motorways there before us…..Vasarely has benefited from it... It embodies the Promethean strength of the “Glorious Thirty Years”…. Road traffic has increased... Cézanne’s countryside is still there... But the living conditions have changed considerably... The architect was posed the following question: What is the best way of living in the northern part of Constance, along the motorway... How can we create a highly distinctive venue for creating modern-day music that interacts with the sound of an increasingly passionate audience of people... How can we make sure the physical architecture is not just another commercial box at the entrance to the city...
© Lisa Ricciotti
A pertinent answer had to found to this demand to adapt a people-friendly viewpoint by creating an urban milestone, an attraction for people looking for something highly identifiable, recognisable and of value in a modern-day creation. The answer certainly is not to simply copy Vasarely or draw on some kind of outmoded architectural vocabulary to create yet another showroom-style building… a showcase along the motorway... Our architectural experimentation was focused on creating a modern-day landmark, a place, an event, an architectural work and installation capable of stimulating powerful feelings and experiences for the people for whom this means of generating and promoting musical energy was created...
© Lisa Ricciotti
This explains the pleats, folds, lumps and mounds in a building shell shaped rather like an embankment. The architectural crescendo expresses itself to the full at the rear (as viewed from the motorway) and, vice-versa, it folds into itself over by the motorway (as viewed from Constance)... The project constitutes a kind of stylistic-spatial cosmogony encapsulating this very current and contemporary form of artistry designed to cater for a wide audience of different people.
© Lisa Ricciotti
Located between the districts of Jas de Bouffan, d'Encagnane and La Pioline, the plot of land is bordered by two motorways, the A8 to the north and the A 51 to the south and east. The programme legitimately raised certain issues: How to design a catalysing building near the A8 motorway, close to a sound barrier measuring between 6-12 m in height? How can this SMAC’s architecture be incorporated in a digital complex that currently does not even exist and, when it is finally completed, will include 12,000 m² of offices?
© Lisa Ricciotti
Located close to the Vasarely Foundation, the project is part of a plan to create a timeless abstract landscape in harmony with Provence’s magnificent countryside. Resting against an embankment covered in scrubs to the north, the SMAC building is completely covered by a thin mineral surface offering a poetic vision of this location when viewed from the A8 motorway. In addition to its aesthetic virtues, this double skin has practical advantages in the general management of heat exchanges with the outside environment.
The SMAC building has a powerful and reassuring architectural design. Its solid overall appearance is toned down by the folds and irregularities in its skin that is gradually marked by as it comes under the test of time. The entire project is enshrouded in local species of greenery that enhances the timeless appearance of this rocky outcrop. For its facades, our project uses materials and techniques perfectly adapted to its needs, all well tried and tested, rather than opting for expensive flashy solutions characteristic of the colonial international style.
© Lisa Ricciotti
Emerging freely and spontaneously from the ground, SMAC’s structural design creates a powerful landmark on the surrounding landscape. Its shell eliminates any kind of functional orthogonality; it looks like some kind of perpetually experimental free musical expression. It is designed to combine nature and culture, landscape features and experimental technology. The project provides a setting that encourages creativity and the promotion of contemporary music."
