“LA SOCIÉTÉ DES CENDRES” OF THE MARAIS
Listed Historic Monument
In the centre of the Marais, the mission of the Ash Society was to process dust from jewellers and to melt down precious metals. Thanks to work to enhance what was already there, the reconversion of this industrial heritage intended to house the Uniqlo brand gave birth to the capital's first boutique-museum. On a deep and narrow plot, it was a question of restoring the original design to an ensemble made up of a 19th century mansion and workshops situated behind, which had become blocked and grouped together over time. Transparency and readability guided the layout of the large, bright central volume, previously delimited at the ends by two identical facades. Rid of its additions and punctuated by the metallic structure of the large arched trusses, the nave is spectacular. At the bottom, the brick-clad chimney stands like the symbolic standard of the place. The galleries have been revised to maintain axiality and to include a new monumental staircase whose sober and functional writing conforms to the place’s industrial history.
