V E N D O M EV e n d ô m e C a m b o n C a p u c i n e

V e n d ô m e C a m b o n C a p u c i n e

« Grandeur and dignity »

Programme : Restructuring the Cambon building, the Hôtel d’Évreux (listed), the Hôtel des Vieux &

the Hôtel Castanier (listed)

LocationPlace Vendôme, Paris, France

Statusdelivered 2007

Cost : 86M€

Architecte Agence d’Architecture A. Bechu

& AssociésAssociate architectAlain Charles Perrot

Suprface area60.000 m²

C r e d i t s

The site of the Vendôme-Capucines-Cambon project is an exceptional property asset, the result of a rich history that has unfolded over nearly two centuries, embodying and amplifying the role of contemporary finance and its relationship with power. Despite mixing various architectural styles and construction methods, the building handed down to the present day is nonetheless a fine example of urban integration.

In Place Vendôme, Paris, we completely restructured the former head office of the bank Crédit Foncier de France. This operation, which involved four groups of buildings (some of which are listed), demanded all our expertise of the building trade and required flawless design and organisation.

The operation to restructure the Cambon-Capucines block (1st arrondissement, Paris), which was formerly the head office of Crédit Foncier de France, was exceptional in many ways. Firstly, it was exceptional because of the wide variety of buildings requiring renovation: three grand townhouses dating from the 18th century – the Hôtel d’Évreux (1707), the

I n t r o d u c t i o n

Hôtel Castanier (1726) and the Hôtel Des Vieux (1726) – as well as constructions from the 19th and 20th centuries. Secondly, it was exceptional for its historic value and the location of its facades, particularly overlooking the Place Vendôme in the heart of Paris. Finally, it was exceptional because of the scale of the work across an entire block: 46,000 m2 of major restructuring work.

The complex houses: 38,000 m2 of offices, shops (1,200 m2), an auction room of 1,500 m2, a fitness club with Turkish bath and sauna covering 2,760 m2, suites (1,270 m2) and, on three brand-new underground levels, meeting rooms, plant rooms and parking spaces.

Our teams’ expertise when it comes to renovating historic sites and transforming their interiors to better serve today’s human experience helped us to bring this project to fruition: a survivor of the 18th century, the renovated building was inaugurated in 2015 and continues to add new chapters to its story...

The site of the V e n d ô m e -C a p u c i n e s -Cambon project is an exceptional property asset, the result of a rich history that has unfolded over nearly two centuries, embodying and amplifying the role of contemporary finance and its

T H E C A M B O N

B U I L D I N G

Grandeur and dignity: reinventing a monumental Belle Époque space with rich materials and clean lines.The hall is built around a space 10 metres high and 50 metres long. Galleries run along the sides of the room, overlooking the central space, which is lit by a glass roof. The building acts as an event venue with VIP lounges. Its Belle Époque decor, which has now been fully restored, evokes the wonderful parties of the early years of the last century. A majestic staircase decorated with garlands of glass beads provides a link between the various reception areas. The play of light reflecting on each vertical and horizontal surface, all covered with opulent materials (marble, silver mosaic, pearl coating, frosted glass) plunges visitors into a magical and enchanting world.

THE MEWÈS ROOM AND ITS MEZZANINEOnce the headquarters of Crédit Foncier de France, the Cambon Capucines building offers visitors an unparalleled amount of space under its glass roof and marble columns. Bathed in the light of the magnificent glass roof that sits nearly 10 metres above the ground, the Mewès Room offers rare elegance on an exceptional scale. The mezzanine, adorned along its entire length by arcades that recall the boxes of the nearby Opera House, further emphasises the room’s spectacular appearance and size.

THE ROSSINI ROOM – THE AUDITORIUMA stunning space offering infinite possibilities. A cleverly-designed, versatile venue that can be completely transformed depending on the circumstances. At maximum capacity, it becomes a 375-seat auditorium fitted with ultramodern equipment. The Rossini Room perfectly illustrates the art of adaptability.

L ’ H O T E L

D ’ E V R E U X

The Hôtel d’Évreux, which has a facade overlooking the Place Vendôme, was built in 1706 by Pierre Bullet (architect to the king). It was then developed by the architects Contant d’Ivry and Vavrin in 1747. The Hôtel d’Évreux is a perfect example of the architecture of its time. With its lounges (4 covering nearly 700 m²) in the 18th-Century, Directoire and Napoleon III styles, this building is one of Paris’ true historic gems.

PLACE VENDÔME SIDEOn the side overlooking the square, the Hôtel d’Évreux has 4 superb lounges. With its high windows offering a unique view of the eponymous square, this row of lounges is exceptionally well-lit. These magnificent lounges are real historic gems thanks to their sumptuous interior design and 18th-century decor. On the courtyard side, sporting wood panelling, gilded mouldings and a white marble fireplace, we find the Napoleon III Lounge and the Billiards Room.

COURTYARD SIDEOnce the dining room, this circular lounge, typical of the Napoleon III style, features fine decor full of contrasts. It opens onto the larger Billiards Room. Decorated with beautiful, finely carved and gilded panelling, its ceiling is bordered by an elegant frieze.

L ’ H O T E L

D E S V I E U X

The Hôtel des Vieux, whose facade overlooks the Rue des Capucines, was built in 1726 based on plans drawn up by Michel Tavernot, architect to the king. It was built on land sold in 1719 by Guillaume Leclerc, who developed the Hôtel du Luxembourg on Rue Cambon. Philippe des Vieux, a Fermier Général (one of the king’s tax collectors) had this elegant townhouse, which still bears his name, built in 1726 by the architect Michel Tavernot.

Louis Philippe Tavernot, another Fermier Général and former co-director of the Compagnie des Indes, died of sorrow in 1735 after being reprimanded by his disgruntled boss for not giving a job to a person that the latter had recommended.

His wife Madeleine le Couturier had the building enlarged with the addition of 2 neighbouring houses situated at 13 Rue des Capucines. She died in 1758, but the townhouse remained in her family until 1803. It was then sold to the citizen Tourteau Philippe d’Orvilliers and his brother Tourteau de Septeuil, who became the sole owner in 1805. In 1812, he bequeathed the Hôtel des Vieux to his son, who sold it to Crédit Foncier in 1858. The wood panelling was removed when the offices were installed. ‘Longtime employees of Crédit Foncier still speak admiringly of the wonderful woodwork that adorned the old apartments. Today, all we see are pigeonholes where the golden sculptures of the 18th-century boudoirs used to shine’. Major works were expedited to make the space better suited to its new function; the superb decorations were divided up or sold.

In 1954, the main courtyard and the second courtyard were renovated by Félix Brunau, who also renovated the building at 42/44/46 Rue Cambon in 1953/1954 and rebuilt the Rue des Capucines building in 1958.

L ’ H O T E L

C A S TA N I E R

The Hôtel Castanier, whose facade occupies 21 Rue des Capucines, was built in 1726 based on plans drawn up by Michel Tavernot, architect to the king. The townhouse was built in 1726 on a plot of land sold in 1719 by Charles François Frédéric de Montmorency-Luxembourg, premier baron and premier Christian of France, to Guillaume Leduc and then to François Castanier, one of the directors of the Compagnie des Indes from 1720 to 1759. The architect, Michel Tavernot, also built the Hôtel des Vieux during the same period.

François Castanier extended the building in 1741 and had it overhauled by Tavernot in 1754. The decor and ceilings were the work of Nicolas Pinot and Louis le Lorrain. (‘A significant chunk of the decor was removed from this house and is waiting to be rediscovered in some prestigious place’).

François Castanier died in 1759, and his nephew, who was the President of the Grand Council, sold the building to Guillaume Mazarde de Saint Bresson in 1763. The latter left it to his daughter, the wife of Duke Louis Alexandre de Villequier d’Aumont. The building was then sold in two parts in 1726 before being bought again as a single lot by Joseph Bonany and several further owners, including Martin Delamarre in 1804. It remained in Delamarre’s family until it was sold to Crédit Foncier in 1854 along with all the buildings stretching from 9-23 Rue des Capucines. This building houses the ground-floor and first-floor lounges of Crédit Foncier, whose ceilings were engraved by Louis Le Lorrain.

A NOTE ON THE

COMPLEXITY OF THE SITE

Subsurface work was carried out on some of these buildings to create additional infrastructure levels. We lowered the existing foundations to around 16 metres deep using the traditional high-pressure tunnel technique.At times, the 18th-century buildings were supported by thin reinforced concrete stilts for the time needed to excavate the earth. A procession of small mechanical shovels traversing the subsoil between posts allowed us to clear some 26,000 m3 of earth and 14,000 m3 of demolition rubble generated by the site. The construction workers often had to pick up these materials by hand, given the complex nature of the site.Sensors positioned at the intersection with the Ritz and connected to a rotating beacon regularly alerted the 70 members of the site management team to excessive noise and vibration. Corrective measures were then implemented immediately, while the time frame for high-noise work ran from 10 am to 6 pm. In the end, 1,100 tonnes of metal framework were installed to underpin the preserved buildings.

Although none of this groundwork is immediately apparent today, Parisians will undoubtedly enjoy the benefits. The operation reinstated the beautiful facades of 2 of the townhouses overlooking their inner courtyards; these had previously been butchered or removed by unchecked tampering or demolition in the 20th century. Notably, 3 inner courtyards had been paved over with concrete slabs (glass paving in some cases) at the level of the first-floor slab. These slabs were removed and the facades were rebuilt in keeping with the various styles. The Hôtel Des Vieux thus regained the 18th-century cut stone facade over its entrance courtyard.

Within this maze of buildings, about 550 workers were on site every day at the height of the project. Wallpaper restorers, gilders, upholsterers and faux marble painters rubbed shoulders with masons, dry liners and carpenters on this site, where the full range of the building trade’s expertise was on display.

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