The main challenge of this project is to create an alchemy between the site, Paris, City of Lights and the refined realm of Champagne, the wine of celebrations. To design a unique place where the permanence of the historical city resonates with the fugacity of the sparkling wine.

 

Our proposal gently sits on the site without affecting the bank, the views on the city and the river, the existing trees and pedestrian flows. The underlying structure of the bar mimics the nearby Pont des Arts steel frame, establishing a coherent connection with its surroundings. It supports a wooden platform from which emerges the glazed curvy shape of the building, playfully referencing the typical containers of champagne. The glass shell evokes the clarity, lightness and ephemerality of a bubble. Along the river, all the glazed modules forming the façade can slide to completely open the bar towards the terrace.

 

Inside, three mosaic-clad volumes housing the required functional spaces sit on a raw, dark hardwood flooring. The mosaic tiles are arranged in vertical gradients making them look like rising bubbles.

The bar resonates with its historical surroundings in a festive mix of restrain and extravagance, of glitter and sobriety, and at the same time affirms itself as a contemporary artifact.