Chartrexpo will be located on the outskirts of the city; its construction should become one of the points of its renewal program in the third millennium. According to the authorities, Chartres cannot continue to base its fame and wealth on the famous Gothic cathedral, so it is necessary to create other, modern "points of attraction".
The first of these was the l'Odyssée water park and indoor ice rink, the largest in France. Now Chartrexpo with a total area of about 17,000 m2 (of which 4,700 m2 is open-air) will be able to attract organizers of major events of a wide variety of profiles.
The complex is covered with a roof with a complex curved silhouette. According to the architect's idea, the building located on the outskirts of the city will be perceived from the center - from the cathedral - as a kind of antithesis to the verticalism of this Gothic monument. Another formal dialogue will arise between the hilly Chartrexpo and the completely flat Bese Plain on which Chartres is located.
The roof will be equipped with opening window openings, which will provide ventilation; in the interior, all partitions will be removable, so it will be possible to hold both one large exhibition and several smaller ones at the same time.
The project budget will amount to EUR 29.5 million; construction is scheduled to begin in 2013.
N. F.
