New York-based interdisciplinary studio SO-IL and Paris-based firm FREAKS have expanded an 18th-century glass factory with an undulating concrete plaza that activates three independent yet interrelated institutions in Meisenthal, France.

Named Site Verrier de Meisenthal, the 6,500-square-metre area connects three buildings: the glass museum (Musée du Verre et du cristal) – a living memory tracing the history of glass at the site, the CIAV (Centre International d’Art Verrier) – an international glass art center where traditional craftsmanship meets contemporary practices and the Cadhame (Halle verrière) – a multidisciplinary cultural space hosting art installations, happenings and concerts are sited at varying floor levels.

SO-IL and FREAKS expand 18th-century glass museum with undulating concrete plaza in France

Image © Iwan Baan

The project site is located in the bucolic landscape of Northern Vosges Natural Park, and with the new project it creates a new and dynamic connection between three separate institutions, while maintaining the identity of these centers.

While the new spaces are presented under the reinforced concrete volume, the upper surface is envisioned as a fully walkable space.

SO-IL and FREAKS expand 18th-century glass museum with undulating concrete plaza in France

Image © Iwan Baan

The whole volume, which is partly used as a bridge, partly a walkable surface, and partly becomes a roof, defining a large courtyard at the center.

“Our intervention unifies them to define a contemporary institutional identity in dialogue with an industrial heritage,” stated SO-IL and FREAKS.

SO-IL and FREAKS expand 18th-century glass museum with undulating concrete plaza in France