Historial of the Great War, in Péronne

“The project is located in the grounds of Péronne Château built under Philippe Auguste in 1204. The Château was seriously damaged during the great war and was restored in 1931 by the chief historic monuments architect Henri Moreau. In 1992 the building to house the Historial was built between the Château and the lake by the architect Henri Ciriani. This building is now considered to be a master piece of end of 20th century architecture. It is made from white concrete but also uses some rooms in the Château, in particular for educational purposes. These rooms and the access to the historial at the entrance to the Château are concerned by the current extension project entrusted to Emmanuelle and Laurent Beaudouin and Aurélie Husson. These two parts of the project will improve the conditions in which the public access the Historial”. The structure has been designed as a system in “balance”. One of the structures is suspended and the other tilts. The steel used is of the Indaten® type. A purple brown colour, with a fine grain appearance, Indaten® owes its success to its aesthetic patina finish. When left in a raw state and exposed to the elements, a protective oxide layer forms on the surface. This oxidation process is sought right from the design stage and is obtained by adding a very small percentage of copper, nickel and chrome into the steel.