Architects:AUMMA,PWA

Area:342m²

Year:2025

Photographs:Vladimir de Mollerat du Jeu

Contractors:MSavel Maçonnerie, Daru Charpente, 2APIC, Ets Fombonne, RCE, SANIPAC, SARL J.P Créabois, SN Leblanc Scénique, COS Tribune, Manganelli Technology

Category:Chapel

Design Team:Kalisaya, Betebat, LINK Acoustique, Tourny Ingénierie

Country:France

Text description provided by the architects. The transformation of the chapel of the Saint-Joseph convent in Saint-Félicien is founded on a guiding principle: designing with what already exists. The intervention seeks neither to erase nor to stage the heritage, but rather to offer a precise and measured reinterpretation of its architectural qualities in service of new cultural uses. The 342 m² chapel has been converted into a versatile cultural venue hosting cinema, theatre, and exhibitions. The project forms part of a broader strategy for the requalification of the convent and its gardens, led by the municipality in collaboration with local associations. From the earliest stages, the definition of the program was developed in close partnership with the client, through a process grounded in attentive dialogue, trust, and a strong commitment from the local authority.

The spatial organization preserves the chapel's unified volume, within which reversible and technical devices are introduced instead of permanent partitions. A stage grid and retractable seating enable a high degree of configurational adaptability, ensuring the hall's versatility without compromising the legibility of the original volume. The project thus prioritizes functional flexibility and long-term sustainability of use. The architectural approach aims to reveal the existing structure — vaults, proportions, light — while introducing a clearly readable contemporary language in deliberate contrast. Material reuse, drawn from the selective dismantling of the existing building, was embedded in the design process from the outset. The chapel's former solid oak flooring was carefully removed, restored, and reintegrated into the project as acoustic wall linings.

Acoustics — central to any cultural performance space — were the subject of in-depth research and design. The project combines several complementary systems: – suspended acoustic reflectors, dimensioned to optimize sound diffusion without amplification; – interior acoustic box linings that direct sound and regulate reverberation; – acoustic spray treatment applied to the vaults, preserving spatial perception while absorbing residual sound and improving thermal insulation. On the building envelope, exterior secondary glazing plays a key acoustic role: it protects the interior from noise generated by the nearby departmental road while preserving the historic stained-glass windows. This solution provides high acoustic performance and thermal insulation, while introducing a subtle contemporary layer to the historic façade.

Ancillary spaces — bar, restrooms, dressing rooms — are integrated in a compact and functional manner, accessible from the entrance hall in order to minimize their impact on the main volume and preserve the clarity of the architectural concept. The entire operation is grounded in rigorous cost control. Contractors, fully involved in both design and construction phases, played a decisive role in the project's final quality. Their craftsmanship, precision, and initiative made it possible to refine details and optimize constructive solutions. The rehabilitation of the Saint-Joseph convent chapel thus proposes an architecture of transformation — sober and committed — where heritage, technique, and use converge within a contemporary and sustainable language.

A renovation project that confirms that contemporary public architecture finds its quality in a demanding and continuous dialogue between heritage and evolving uses, project economy and technical precision, respect for the existing fabric, and conceptual initiative, among all stakeholders involved. Ultimately, it is through the municipality's strong commitment to supporting this cultural project that the Chapelle de Saint-Félicien exists today.

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