Ibride develops the Park
A horizontal plane, a flat roof and 4 glass walls that make the boundaries disappear, immerse the visitor in the Micaud Park, suspending him in the century-old trees overlooking the river.
Created in 1969, this pavilion designed by the architect Michel Demange for the city of Besançon is an archetype of modern architecture, a former tourist office now listed as a 20th century heritage site.
This year, ibride has been entrusted with the layout of the spaces of this exceptional restaurant, including a kitchen on the first floor that opens onto a room seating 50 people, as well as a bar that opens onto a terrace on the water's edge.
The exceptional location, the immersion in the canopy, the original function of the place were all sources of inspiration for the creation of a space dedicated to the green city of Besançon.
To protect the intimacy of the room and the exclusivity of the restaurant, Benoit Convers has imagined a 13-metre long green marble wall on the street side to act as a screen for the bustle of the square. This Verias green marble wall, of Greek origin, in vertical sheets one metre wide polished into an open book, creates a fascinating effect of symmetry along its entire length, and refers to the architect's original inspiration, Mies Van der Rohe's 1929 Barcelona pavilion. This wall creates an airlock between the street and the hall; you have to walk along it to access the interior.
On the side of the room, alcoves have been imagined, welcoming a series of portraits facing each other, created by Rachel Convers, inviting greed and seduction.
To fully enjoy the transparency, all service functions have been concentrated in the centre of the space. Wine cellars, serving furniture, storage units, all have been unified in a set of sober and refined furniture, custom-made and dressed in matt black oak.
Only the cafeteria, in a theatrical effect, is masked by the engraving of a huge relief plan of the town, which refers to the original function of the place, which used to be a tourist office. Vegetation, roads, buildings and the famous loop of the Doubs have been engraved into the mass on this 5 by 3 metre wall. This bas-relief, a virtuoso piece of the restaurant, was entirely made in the ibride workshops, specialised in the engraving technique.
To underline the immateriality of the walls, Benoit Convers had fun crossing the space with a flight of starlings in brass, which flies over the room, is reflected in the windows and escapes outside. A harmony of greens runs through the décor to further enhance this immersion in nature.
In partnership with La Rochère's glassware, ibride produced a piece of glass cladding, specially designed for this project. Lacquered in deep green on the back, it covers the long countertop of the open kitchen. Its worked surface and the depth of the material generate luminous flashes, ripples and vibrations that evoke those of the nearby river and extend it into the heart of the restaurant.
This collaboration with La Rochère's glassware, a factory with century-old know-how, is emblematic of ibride's ambitions in terms of interior architecture projects: to rely on exceptional skills, to favour noble and natural materials, and to bring together the best local players to serve the project.
This place dedicated to gastronomy is now run by Vivien Sonzogni, a young globe-trotting chef and Noémie Paris, sommelier and chef de salle, both of whom have passed through some of the world's best starred restaurants, including Le Caprice of Hong Kong, ranked 3 stars in the Michelin Guide.
