This 5.000 m2 building connects the aging cellars on one side and the bottling site on the other. Since June 2021, it has welcomed the 130 employees, who until then worked in the city center of Cognac.
INCA Architectes and AIA Life Designers have imagined a large landscaped park in which the new building, reminiscent of historic cellars, has been inserted. This building-promenade is distinguished by two slender parts linked together by footbridges. They house all the functions and create a real living space: reception, offices, meeting rooms, restaurant, gym, staff premises. Forecourts, patios and gardens create a smooth transition between inside and outside. The landscape, light, nature and history were precious sources of inspiration to give meaning to this program while respecting the values of Maison Rémy Martin.
The materiality of Charente stone is reinterpreted on the facade in a contemporary way and blends harmoniously with the VMZINC zinc that covers the roof. This elegant cover, light in expression, carefully transcribes the architectural design. The design office of Alain COUTANT Couverture and that of VMZINC have worked closely together to ensure that VMZINC systems can technically meet aesthetic expectations. In total, 7.000 m2 of zinc solutions were implemented, i.e. around 60 tonnes: Standing seam on the roof; Interlocking profile for the underside and tailor-made stapling on the sides and gables.
A single surface aspect, QUARTZ-ZINC, was retained. This zinc, which will acquire a patina over time, plays with light, an essential component of the project. Over the course of the day and depending on the weather, it shades and creates reflections. The selected materials; zinc, stone and aluminum; stand out for their nobility, timelessness and durability.
Minimal details
The clean lines of the zinc roofing required great technical expertise, such as the banks at the level of the caps with roof overhangs on the ground floor and on the first floor. Worked as finely as possible, these tapered tips go from 34 cm to almost 0 cm thick over a length of 1,90 m.
For Mathias COUTANT, Manager of Alain COUTANT Coverage: “A secondary wooden frame was designed to clad the steel skeleton. Metal flanges, lined with wood, make the junction with this secondary framework in order to gracefully draw this so fine point which borders the building. »
All roofing (excluding caps) is treated with a warm roof complex VMZINC roof: steel deck/vapour barrier/double-layer 240 mm insulation/rain screen/QUARTZ-ZINC PLUS.
Gutters have been integrated in the middle of the slope to collect rainwater from the upper part. Collected, they disappear from sight and ensure the aesthetic continuity of the line of the roofs.
Logistics carried out by a master's hand
The design office of the company Alain COUTANT Couverture produced the plans from a 3D model in order to integrate the zinc elements into the metal frame and the aluminum joinery. He calculated and defined his zinc needs before ordering coils from VMZINC. To respect the rhythm of the stone mullions and guarantee a visual alignment of the different joints, VMZINC produced these coils in tailor-made dimensions. They were split (widths 530 mm and 467 mm) according to the laying pitch defined by the different solutions. The objective is to make the hollow joints of the underside coincide with the standing seam of the roofing trays.
During the construction phase, a group of companies was formed (Alain COUTANT Couverture, BOUCHET Couverture and SMAC) ensuring the delivery of the work in one year after the start of the work.