Taking inspiration from the musical stave to create an orientation system at the Cité des Arts de Montpellier

Signage, Architecture & Heritage, Arts & Culture
Conservatoire de Montpellier
Montpellier, France, 2021
Architects : Architecturestudio, MDR Architectes
Art direction, signage : CL Design — Object design : FandD
Photographer : Arthur Lockhart

The Conservatoire à Rayonnement Régional de Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole is a public institution for artistic education whose purpose is to teach music, dance and dramatic arts. The building is distinguished by its modern architecture and its exterior façade which give it a unique identity.

The architecture of this façade is defined by a vertical rhythm that corresponds to the sunbreakers. These are screen-printed glass slats with different colours. In close collaboration with Architecture Studio, we worked on the motif. The façade becomes a musical score on which coloured and luminous notes are placed.

Inside the building, the musical score was applied to the concrete walls by creating signage in wood and Corian inspired by musical staves. The font chosen, Giorgio, allows us to play rhythmically on this staff. A family of pictograms inspired by typography completes the graphic system.