martin gaufryau’s team’s installation emerges as ‘structural forest’ of pine porticos in french park

Faille Cachée deconstructs the notion of a door for open spaces

Deconstructing and reimagining the traditional notion of a doorway for open, public spaces, Faille Cachée is a wooden installation that stands at the entrance to Parc des Marais, inviting visitors to traverse through an experiential journey of space and perception. Conceived by Martin Gaufryau, Quentin Barthe, and Tom Patenotte, the bare structure crafted from locally sourced pine in France is composed of an assembly of vertical porticos, emerging as a structural forest. Its form echoes the slender silhouettes of the surrounding trees and evokes the image of a levitating volume that invites visitors to engage with it in dynamic ways.

the installation marks the convergence of public domains

Faille Cachée was realized in response to a competition set by the town of Bourg-Saint-Maurice, calling for an architectural feature that would welcome visitors to the park while also serving as a symbolic link bridging two distinct landscapes — an urban sports ground and an expansive park. These divergent domains, contrasting constructed and natural environments, are connected by a footbridge and separated by the sinuous Versoyen river, finding their convergence point in Faille Cachée.

The design concept by architects Martin Gaufryau, Quentin Barthe, and Tom Patenotte expresses a radical framework and seemingly levitating volume that invites passersby to stop, react, and engage. Visitors are led to pass beneath the canopy and tilt their gaze upwards. Here, a strategically positioned bench serves as an earthly anchor between perception and space, allowing visitors to reflect on the expanse of trees overhead or the scenic Marais landscape beyond. Further, the installation accommodates for the presentation of informative displays, park maps, and photography exhibitions through a simple system of hooks and boards.

‘This highly organized and symbolic structural forest therefore serves a purpose and helps to re-establish a precious, yet endangered amenity: public signage. The project’s radical discretion manages to bridge the gap between the vernacular and the contemporary, in keeping with Charlotte Perriand’s work at Les Arcs,’ notes Martin Gaufryau.

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project info:

name: Faille Cachée
architecture: Martin Gaufryau, Quentin Barthe, Tom Patenotte
location: Bourg-Saint-Maurice, France

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