A restoration among the vineyards
In Meursault, France, the Parisian studio JUNG Architectures restored a medieval hospital to serve as a cultural and tourism centre
The area of Meursault, in the heart of Burgundy, was declared a Unesco world heritage site in 2015 for its ‘climats’, cultural landscapes whose uniqueness is transmitted to the vines and the wine. Land of ancient architectures, over the centuries the area was traversed by pilgrims, beggars and soldiers who found refuge in the hospital commonly referred to as the ‘Leprosarium’, founded by Duke Ugo II of Burgundy at the beginning of the 12th century and organised into three sections: the gatehouse, the poor hall and the chapel. In 1760 the hospital merged with the Hospices de Beaune at the behest of King Louis XV, but was subsequently downgraded to a warehouse and farm. Added to the Inventaire Supplémentaire des Monuments Historiques in 1926, the complex was restored by the Parisian studio JUNG Architectures thanks to a commission from the municipality of Meursault and upgraded so it could serve modern purposes.
The compactness of the complex, isolated from the viticulture landscape by high walls, was reconstructed thanks to an archaeological study that allowed the architects to see the original footprint on which the new volumes are built. Being a site dedicated to receiving people and offering assistance that for centuries was run by religious figures, it included a orchard and a paved square for welcoming people on the side nearest the small urban centre of Meursault. Today the premises house a tourist information office, temporary exhibition spaces and the new community hall. JUNG Architectures adopted a sober and minimalist approach that allowed on the one hand for the faithful restoration of the medieval structures, and on the other for the insertion of an uncamouflaged addition that uses an innovative type of zinc, Zeng Azengar, to define monolithic contemporary shells.
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