Current Tenders & Competitions

The restructuring of the ASCA Cultural Centre marks a decisive new chapter for one of Beauvais’ most significant post-war civic buildings. Located at 8 Avenue de Bourgogne in the Argentine district, the 2,500 m² centre, originally completed in 1978 and progressively altered over four decades, accommodates a 220-seat art-house cinema (Agnès Varda), a live music venue (L’Ouvre-Boîte), rehearsal studios, administrative offices and cultural education spaces. Successive extensions, including the 2001 addition of the contemporary music venue and studios, have gradually compromised the clarity of the original architectural concept centred around a generous central atrium. Today, the building presents functional, accessibility and regulatory challenges, including fire safety non-compliance, complex circulation routes and outdated technical installations. The new commission appoints a multidisciplinary architect-led design team (Lead Consultant and Building Design Services Engineers) to deliver a comprehensive refurbishment and technical upgrade of the centre.

The brief focuses on the requalification of the concert hall and cinema, alongside the full renovation of internal spaces to meet current fire safety regulations (Public Assembly Building – Type L), accessibility standards and acoustic performance requirements. Sustainability forms a core ambition of the project, with an emphasis on bio-based materials, renewable energy systems and long-term operational efficiency. The intervention also seeks to restore the spatial coherence of the original design by reactivating the central atrium as a unifying civic space and improving the clarity of public and performer circulation. Scheduled for completion in 2029 to coincide with the centre’s 50th anniversary, the project positions the ASCA Cultural Centre as both a renewed architectural landmark and a contemporary cultural infrastructure for Beauvais.