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From a wooden colonnade to a stone colonnade
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Massive timber market hall
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A transparent hall with a solid wood triangular framework
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A monumental stone colonnade marks the entrance to the cultural center.
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A monumental gargoyle dramatizes the path of rainwater as it flows toward the Foron
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A public square is framed by the market hall and the cultural center.
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Revitalising the town centre : a market hall, a public square, and a cultural centre
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The old town hall and the new market hall as catalysts for urban renewal
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An urban promenade defined by the presence of the market hall
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A former factory reborn as a cultural centre
Market Hall, Public Space and Cultural Centre
ATELIER ARCHIPLEIN. Scionzier, France
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Name of work in English
Market Hall, Public Space and Cultural Centre
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Name of work in original language
Une Grenette, une place et un centre culturel
Prize year
EUmies Awards 2026
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Work Location
Scionzier, France
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Studio
ATELIER ARCHIPLEIN
EUmies Awards 2026 Nominees
The redeveloped town heart transformed the image of the municipality, introduced new uses, revitalised public space, and enhanced residents’ quality of life. The renovation of a former factory, just like the vast timber market hall stands as the main urban feature of the new development scheme.
Program
Urban planning
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Labels
Public Space
Site area
10000 m²
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Client
Scionzier municipality
Total gross floor
10000 m²
Cost
800 €/m²
New collective urban storytelling : The first intervention involves the rehabilitation and expansion of a factory into a municipal cultural center. Based on patrimonial diagnostic, were stored the facade's colors and molding and added a monumental massive stone peristyle. In continuity, the wood market hall serves as an urban connector and a symbol of renewal. A network of public spaces, resting areas, and urban promenades complements the entire transformation.
Since 2017, Atelier Archiplein has been working on the regeneration of the town centre of Scionzier, in Haute-Savoie. Until recently, this 10 000 inhabitants town centre lacked a strong identity — perceived merely as a transit zone on the way to nearby ski resorts and mountain leisure areas. People passed through Scionzier without really noticing it. In 2020, the renovation of old factory brought the town’s industrial history back into the public realm. This project became the catalyst for a broader and increasingly urgent revitalisation of the entire town centre. In early 2023, the redevelopment of the “town heart” has transformed the image of the municipality, introduced new uses, reactivated public spaces, and improved residents’ quality of life. It has also established Scionzier as a new destination for cultural and social events — including concerts, open-air cinemas, weekly and Christmas markets, large fairs, and music festivals requiring generous public space.
The "Grenette" acts as an element of articulation — drawing from an architectural language that is calm yet not silent. With a generous surface area of 700 m², it asserts its presence through its pure geometry: an equilateral triangle. A strict colonnade defines the main pedestrian axis. Each of the seven paired timber columns supports the high edge of the roof, which rises to seven metres above the square. The roof structure is composed of three layers of timber joists, simply stacked to form a triangular lattice with a total structural depth of 90 cm. At its centre, a monumental column unfolds, concentrating the structural loads. Treated as a sculptural object in its own right, this central pillar—nicknamed the Tulip by local residents—has become both a focal point of curiosity and an urban totem within the square. In conversation with the timber colonnade, the entrance to the cultural centre rises in solid stone