This project for the Centre for Franco-British Relations at Ouistreham Riva-Bella intends to go beyond the dimension of a memorial to offer a scientific and creative approach to the links established between the French and the British over the course of history. Its vocation as a cultural and tourism amenity makes it part of the region’s cultural activities and a tool for the development of tourism, including business tourism.

The location selected for the establishment of the future amenity is located just above the beach. Nearby is the Bunker, testimony to the history of the Atlantic Wall. This insertion, articulated between town and ocean, between nature and the built environment, has to strengthen the relations between the different sites on the territory of the commune, and harmoniously manage how it interfaces with its immediate neighbours. Beyond these already decisive elements, the scale and beauty of the maritime and dune panorama is the dominant impression for visitors. This rare and valuable characteristic will need to be taken into account by the project, which will have to demonstrate both humility before nature, and presence through its urban identity.

“With its scale and morphology, the building must be in harmony with the dune structure and enhance access to the beaches.”

“The project seeks to radiate outwards with a creative and thematic approach, treated in a spirit of enjoyment.”

“With this treatment, the project participates in the enhancement of the natural character of the site.”

Explicitly expressed as being “like a bridge over troubled water”, meaning “a bridge over the stereotypes about France and Britain”, the exhibition design project has served as the catalyst and point of connection between two desires expressed by the programme: the desire for an urban museum project that provides structure and meaning, and the desire for integration, or even assimilation of the building into the remarkable natural landscape.
In its form and layout, the proposed project fulfils these two desires: an arch in the dunes under which the programme is installed on the ground floor, and served by a corridor space between the town and the beach.
It is an inhabited dune that we cross, that we climb, that we traverse and from which the concrete volumes emerge like so many remains covered by the sand, contemporary and peaceful counterparts to the bellicose bunkers of yesteryear.

“An allegory of the bridge, the project is a dune supported by a deck that spans a mirror and symmetric perspective of France and Britain.”

If the plan of the project forms a bridge over Franco-British relations, its volume and its roof will be occupied by the people of Ouistreham and visitors to the town.
The connection between the volumes at the bottom of the slope and the limits of the terrain enables the building to be crossed without going around it, via the beach and by protected entrances and circulations.

The roof becomes useful, a dune landscape punctuated by periscope-like volumes, a terrace and a belvedere that creates a promenade and connects with the site of the bunker, leaving open a prolongation of the interior exhibition design.

“On the town side, a vast square is reflected on a curved façade which naturally leads the visitor toward the entrance.”
This treatment materialises an urban integration expressing a desire of presence and identity, and a capacity to connect the site of the beach with its leisure facilities, its historical vestiges and their service roads.

“On the beach side, the maritime panorama is reflected and clads the project with a British presence that is sensed as being just over the horizon.”
This treatment integrates the project into the maritime panorama, without seeking to hide it. It is a stealth project which participates in the dune landscape by becoming dune territory.

The museum programme
This new interpretation centre is not just another museum of the war along the Normandy coast. The CRFB has set itself a broader mission and intends to address a more varied and wide-ranging theme. It will go beyond the events of D-Day and the Second World War, and will place these stories in the broader context of the history of Franco-British relations. This interpretation centre is therefore a project that is unique in France and Great Britain, one that will explore the history and the shared culture of the two countries through time, including the impact that each of the countries has had and continues to have on the other, as well as on global events. This is far from a straightforward story. It involves a multitude of complex themes and ideas, which must be identified, organised and made accessible to visitors. It is also a story that continues to be written. Current and future events will continue to have an impact on our story and the exhibition will need to retain sufficient flexibility to be able to evolve.

The exhibition design must integrate in a perfectly fluid manner into the building and, in this case, rather than creating a series of spaces or pavilions in which to present the permanent exhibition, we have chosen to create a single large room - a black box - where the illumination and the environmental conditions can be carefully controlled in order to create a perfectly consistent and physically immersive experience for visitors, one in which the audiovisual elements will be able to play a leading role. The single space recalls the expanse of the sea and our exhibition will traverse it like a series of waves, which visitors will advance through.

The Periscopes
Inspired by the language of the bunkers and the importance of views towards the sea in our story, three large periscopes are located in the exhibition space, one in each of our thematic areas. These periscopes form an essential link between the exhibition and the outside world. Each frames a view corresponding to the theme, bringing an image of the external world directly into the visitor’s experience. From periscope 1, in the Culture zone, there is a view of the sky, or over the busy landscape of the town. From periscope 2, towards the end of the Conflict zone, there is a view of the site of the D-Day Landings. From periscope 3, towards the end of the Trade zone, there is a view of the ferry port.
These periscopes are an essential aspect of the visitor experience.

The Exhibition Design Concept
Our exhibition design concept is to create a terrestrial or maritime landscape in 3D through stories. As they progress along their journey, visitors will encounter characters through different periods and experience historical events in an intense manner: up close and face to face. To achieve this, we were inspired by the panels used in theatre sets: these simple elements of set design can be used in multiple ways to create interesting perspectives. They change perceptions, offer new points of view and play with visitors’ sense of scale. They allow for great flexibility, and since they slide they can be moved and refreshed. They also operate equally well as a screen and as a backdrop, or may form points of interest in themselves.
This approach showing two different aspects allows us to play with comparisons and present characters and events in pairs, as well as quotes from different time periods, often to humorous effect.