chauvet cave
Vallon Pont d'Arc - France
GROTTE CHAUVET
Vallon Pont d'Arc - France
The Grotte Chauvet is an exceptional prehistoric site dating back more than 30,000 years and containing particularly well preserved cave paintings. It is located in Vallon Pont d’Arc, 40 km from Valence and overlooks a valley criss-crossed by the river Ardèche.
For security and conservation reasons, a restitution project is planned to be opened to the public. The staging of this prehistoric heritage studies 2 scenarios on 2 possible locations: the Razal, located in the descent of the plateau of Saint – Remèze towards Vallon Pont d’Arc, and Champagnac, located on the axis Vallon Pont d’Arc – Vagnas.
The project is based on two main poles: the Anamorphosis and the discovery centre. The Anamorphosis is a real eye-catcher of the site, covering 3,500 m², and is a compact representation of the real Chauvet cave (8,500 m²). Along the paths, small scenographies plunge the visitor 30,000 years into the past. The different settings, all suggestive, propose a parallel between rock art in general and certain approaches of the great painters of our time, inspired by the primitive arts and in particular by Australian Aboriginal art.
To limit the impact of the visitor’s journey through the site, the platform that links the different polarities of the project is elevated. This above-ground walk also symbolizes the observation of the present towards the past, itself embodied by the dense woodland emerging from the ground.
Heritage project
Prehistoric heritage
Ecological management
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- Project management competition for the creation of the restoration space of the Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc
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- Syndicat mixte Espace de Restitution de la Grotte Chauvet-Pont d’Arc
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- INTERSCENE – Master plan and landscape
SHIGERU BAN Law Firm
Jean DE GASTINES Agency – Architects
- INTERSCENE – Master plan and landscape
- 15ha > Competition project