Two connected blocs, one dedicated to social interactions; transparent and light, with the welcom-ing warmth of a central fireplace and the light sculpture rising through the monumental staircase the suggestion is clear-champagne! This public space is joined to a second more vertical volume con-taining the hotel rooms where the views through the tree canopy are more intimate.

“Our project is a mix of deep simple pleasures and sparkle” 

Sanjit Manku - Architect

Like the basement, the roof too is in concrete, but vegetalised. Floor to ceiling glass on each level assures the interiors panoramic connection to the hotels immediate environment and regional views beyond. Clad in wood, the building is an architectural and cultural extension of the surrounding forest.

Drawing on the historical tradition of storing champagne in the chalk and salt mines left behind  by the Romans, the hotel is can be accessed either via a cave like undercroft at the rear of the hotel or from the parking area. Designed as a prelude to the light filled discovery that follows, the ‘public’ level is a free flowing multipurpose space oriented around a central light filled patio, and panoramic views over the region. Reception, tasting tables, bar, restaurant and even seminar spaces all merge in-front of the spectacle of the sites natural beauty.

We have realised an architecture whose contoured and transparent form rises out of the sites topography. An uncommon and yet honest departure from the usual context in which champagne is appreciated, the buildings purpose is to promote the diversity and beauty of Champagne’s terroir. The design carefully navigates the sites natural attributes, and an interior design scheme that is at one and the same time, functional, natural, and stylish. 

A meeting place where local actors in the Champagne region, and visitors alike can come and express their ideas, and taste all that the region has to offer in the beauty of its true context.