La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux: silk-screened glass and iridescent perforated aluminium panels, shimmering like the gold of Bordeaux stone.

Reference project — not a Eurowindow project. This article summarises public information from the sources listed at the end, with our own commentary. Images belong to their owners and are embedded directly from Pinterest with a link back to the source.

The project at a glance

• Name: La Cité du Vin, Bordeaux, France
• Architects: XTU Architects (Anouk Legendre, Nicolas Desmazières)
• Completed: 2016
• Site area: 13,644 m²
• Budget: about €81 million (excluding VAT), per ArchDaily
• Facade: silk-screen printed glass panels and perforated, iridescent, lacquered aluminium panels, giving a golden shimmer reminiscent of Bordeaux’s pale stone, per Archello and Designboom
• Idea: gnarled vine stock, wine swirling in a glass, eddies on the Garonne

What stands out on the facade

According to project write-ups, the facade combines silk-screen printed glass with perforated, iridescent lacquered aluminium panels. The colour shifts with sunlight and the time of day, suggesting wine swirling in a glass.

The seamless, soft round form was the architects’ aim, so the cladding must curve evenly with few visible joints.

Note: figures and descriptions above come from the sources cited at the end; we quote them for reference and have not verified them independently.

Our take

Seen through an aluminium-cladding lens, three things stand out:

1. Iridescent paint changes with the viewing angle, so colour control has to be very tight. Each batch and each panel must match, even when installed at different times. See Eurowindow aluminium cladding.
2. Curved, perforated panels need an accurate subframe and anchors.
3. An iridescent finish needs its own cleaning and maintenance routine.

If you are weighing options for a high-rise project, send your brief to the Eurowindow technical team to discuss specifics.

Sources

• ArchDaily — Cité du Vin / XTU Architects
• Archello — Cité du Vin | XTU architects, Alucoil, Guardian Glass
• Designboom — La Cité du Vin by XTU architects celebrates Bordeaux’s wine heritage
• Pinterest — pin Cité du Vin / XTU Architects

This article is for reference only and does not imply Eurowindow took part in this project. If you own an image or content and would like it changed or removed, please contact sonhn@eurowindow.biz; we will act immediately.