Beneath the treetops of a newly completed park in the Luxembourgian town of Kayl-Tétange is a reddish-brown shimmering structure: the “Pavillon Madeleine” occupies a quiet, idyllic site. A partly opaque, partly perforated skin of pre-oxidised steel sheathes the building massing. The pavilion’s footprint measures 10 ? 22 metres. When the restaurant is open, the incised steel plates are slid into parked position and offer views in and out through panes of glass extending the height of the building. The play of shadows animates the building’s simple form, as does the steel’s irregular patina. The 4 mm thick sheets clad the pavilion’s structural members (4.60 metre high columns and 10 metre beams made of standard sections); the connection of the steel sheets to the frame is concealed. All steel components were prefabricated and connected with bolts on site. To attain serene, spacious atmosphere inside the pavilion, the architects situated the structural members and the building services behind the suspended ceiling and wall cladding. The restaurant’s open kitchen is the heart of the establishment; this layout gives guests the opportunity to experience how the different dishes are prepared. A counter made of untreated steel surrounds the cooking island. The open fireplace and the wine cabinet are also clad in this material. The patterns and streaks that characterise untreated steel are remnants of the manufacturing process: they come about during hot-rolling. A thin layer of beeswax protects the striking surface tracery from oxidation.

Last viewed