A project that lasted 25 years led the French firm Opus 5 Architectes to completely renovate an ancient Norman abbey for cultural purposes
The Ardenne abbey is one of the three great Norman complexes founded by the Premonstratensian Canons Regular. Composed of well-made buildings built between the 13th and 18th centuries, the abbey was abandoned during the French Revolution, after which it was used for agricultural purposes and suffered serious damage during the second world war.
Acquired by the region of Normandy, the more than 9,000-square-meter complex was completely renovated by the Parisian firm Opus 5 Architecteswhich, after 25 years of work divided into three phases and at an overall cost of €17.6 million, turned it into the IMEC, Institut Mémoires de l’Edition Contemporaines (the Institute for Contemporary Publishing Archives).
There’s a beautiful example of repurposing and reuse.
Hoover Dam Angel - Two 30-foot tall bronze sculptures by Oskar Hansen at Hoover Dam are an unusual depiction of male angels. They are part of Hansen’s work to memorialize the workers killed during the construction of the dam. “Winged Figures of the Republic” were each formed in a continuous pour. To put such large bronzes into place without marring the highly polished bronze surface, they were placed on ice and guided into position as the ice melted.
