Quartier du Palais

The renovation of the Palace of the Dukes of Aquitaine is part of a comprehensive urban, landscaping, scenographic, and heritage project. This project enhances the symbolic place of the Palace of the Dukes of Aquitaine, at the heart of the city and the neighborhood. The Palace is an urban landmark that contributes to the identity of the city and its inhabitants. It is becoming a facility capable of welcoming large numbers of visitors in optimal conditions, responding to contemporary and heritage challenges, and adapting to future uses. A veritable toolbox, the project focuses on the adaptability of spaces, their modularity, and their legibility in harmony with the existing heritage. It enables the effective day-to-day management of this multidisciplinary venue and the evolution of its uses, without risking the obsolescence or under-use of a building that is now an essential part of the city. The scenographic project unfolds throughout the city around three enhanced daytime and nighttime urban routes. With a historical and event-based character, they accompany visitors as they stroll towards and through the Palace. At its heart, the Aula, a magnified heritage feature, also becomes a space for contemporary creation with multiple possibilities, thanks to hanging points distributed throughout the framework and adequate wiring. Directly connected to the Aula, the Black Box is an immersive, modular, technical, enclosed, and versatile space with a specific stage construction, lending itself to the programming of concerts, performances, immersive digital shows, debates, exhibitions, receptions, and more. The CIAP is located in the Maubergeon Tower. Its location and purpose make it an ideal tool for discovering not only the monument but also the entire Greater Poitiers area.