Ateliers Medicis

Studio Muoto, Clichy-Montfermeils, France, 2022

Ateliers Medicis is an adaptable theater and arts space that uses natural ventilation and unique spatial organization to regulate the building’s temperature. Muoto rejects the narrative that architecture should become a retreat from the increasingly intense climate, instead they invite the elements in behind the facade. Ateliers Medicis is designed with three layers. The center is the blackbox space, which can be adjusted to many different configurations to serve the artistic needs of its users. The second layer is studio rooms, galleries, and offices. The final layer is the corridor, which can be ventilated in the summer, and trap heat in the winter, aided by thermal curtains which line the glass facade. The permeable exterior invites in the public, leading them into the more closed off performance spaces that require darkness for proper lighting. Muoto’s intention is to turn the building inside out, not by having its technical elements exposed, but by designing porous facades that emulsify the building into the outdoors.

Muoto, “How to Skin a Rabbit” in After Comfort: A User’s Guide, e-Flux Architecture, October, 2023 https://www.e f lux.com/architecture/after-comfort/567956/how-to-skin-a rabbit/w