MTC Rixheim (Tranche1)

Place:
Rixheim in France

Contractor:
Municipality of Rixheim

Completion:
2015

Total area of intervention:
6.200 sqm

Build-up area:
1.700 sqm

Functional program:
Municipal technical centre for public transport maintenance, storage, laboratories and workers’ facilities

An agricultural context on the one side and a large residential expansion area on the other, have led to the development of an imposing architecture, well
integrated with the landscape with respect to the local architectural styles. the volume of the model taken as a reference is the archetype of the architecture of Alsace that, when repeated in several modules, permits a variable volume to be obtained that is more suitable for public rather than private buildings.
the most striking feature, therefore, is the roof, where all functions are grouped together under a single architectural element, marked on the facade by the succession of the various spans.
located to the north and parallel to the boundary of the plot, this building creates a functional and spacious internal service courtyard, keeping an ideal distance from town to the north.

Such an optimization is owed to a reflection oriented towards the future, leaving the possibility of constructing complementary volumes towards the south, similar in its composition but not necessarily in shape.

Finally, proportion defines a strong yet simple building, with an industrial character mitigated through the logic of its pre-existing pitched roofs. At the base of the system, this idea has suggested the development of two very different facades.

The north-facing facade benefits from a constant indirect light, which penetrates through a polycarbonate translucent material; it is highly efficient in terms of its thermal and acoustic efficiency, soft and familiar in relation to the surrounding context. The facade works as a mediating element between the internal functions and the external landscape, using sunlight as a source of light and emerging as a sort of magical lantern in the evening.