CCC OD - Olivier Debré Contemporary Creation Centre

In Tours, the Olivier Debré Center for Contemporary Art comprises two structures: a 1950s building, which houses the main exhibition hall, public spaces, and offices, and a new building dedicated to contemporary art.

Between the two, a transparent structure envelops the ground floor.

Conceived as an integral part of the architecture, the lighting is minimalist, flexible, and contemporary. Invisible when it emanates from the structure, soft when it reveals the spaces, and brighter when the center serves as the city’s artistic showcase, it adapts to each exhibition. Each space thus has its own lighting identity.

- The transparent gallery and reception area: a discreet, continuous line of light emphasizes the transparency, guides visitors, and creates a visual connection between the two buildings, lending the architecture a sense of lightness.
- The Nave: the center’s true showcase, it combines functional, architectural, and dramatic lighting to highlight the spaces and reinforce its role as an iconic venue.
- The Contemporary Creation Platform and the Auditorium: Designed as “black boxes,” these spaces offer great freedom in stage design. Flexible lighting allows artists to create their own lighting atmospheres tailored to exhibitions and performances.
- The Olivier Debré Platform and the adjoining rooms: Natural light is combined with functional and museum-specific artificial lighting.

A lighting grid on the ceiling allows for multiple exhibition configurations.
- The stairwells: treated as light wells, they are bathed in soft, radiant light from invisible sources, which highlights the architectural openings.

Discreet in the circulation areas, expressive in the Nave, adaptable in the exhibition spaces, and immersive in the stairwells: here, light becomes a true architectural language, serving the building’s functions and its contemporary identity.