Médiathèque du Haut-Jura

In the city of Saint-Claude, the former Banque de France building (1923) is converted into a media library. The library architect seeks to restore openness and public accessibility while preserving the building’s institutional presence and spatial dignity. On the garden side, a contemporary volume wraps the existing structure, forming a warm, protective envelope that contrasts with the austere character of the historic fabric.

Originally conceived to express authority and permanence through its prominent siting and monumental architecture, the media library architecture is reactivated through a careful rehabilitation that reinstates its public use. Interventions by the library architect begin with targeted enhancements to the existing structure: the main façade is adapted to improve access — removal of steps, enlarged openings and the removal of security grilles — thereby opening the cultural facility to the city. The civic architect replaces the existing windows with new timber–aluminium joinery, improving thermal performance and acoustic insulation.

Inside, the agenda of the library architect restores the clarity and hierarchy of the classical composition. Two monumental chimneys frame the main pavilion, reinforcing axiality through the rhythm and proportions of the façade articulation. Selected decorative elements are preserved, including the ground-floor mosaic marking the stair void and period washbasins that evoke the spirit of the 1930s.

On the garden side, the extension forms a unifying contemporary shell. This protective “cocoon” accommodates, over two levels, the three main reading areas of the media library. Its three-dimensional steel structure, clad in perforated timber and punctuated by roof lights, is designed by the library architect to admit low winter sunlight while limiting summer heat gain through external solar shading.