Adaptive reuse: Chateau of the Hertford British Hospital

Buildings with specific uses often find themselves out of a job so to speak. Rather than tear down (often wonderful) old buildings, rehabbing them is the most interesting, and green, move forward.    

In Levallois-Perret (Greater Paris), the Château of the Hertford British Hospital is about to begin a new chapter. Built between 1877 and 1879 by architect Paul Ernest Sanson, this neo-Gothic building with English-inspired design long welcomed British patients, notably in its maternity ward, which remained in operation until the end of the 20th century. The agency Maud Caubet Architectes has led the complete rehabilitation of the site on behalf of the Hertford British Charitable Fund (HBCF), with the ambition of restoring the identity of the place while adapting it to contemporary uses. The Château will host training areas, coworking spaces, and dining facilities, all within a comfortable, accessible environment open to the city.

Grounded in extensive historical research, the project is based on a sensitive reading of the building and its successive transformations. Original plans, photographs, archives, and surveys allowed for a reconstitution of the château’s initial form. Rather than a replica, Maud Caubet offers a thoughtful reinterpretation, highlighting original elements while meeting today's functional requirements.

The stone and brick façades are preserved and restored where needed, in keeping with the original materials. Modern PVC windows are replaced with high-performance elements faithful to the site's aesthetic: light wood for rectangular windows, black steel for pointed or polylobed arches, based on historically accurate profiles. The main entrance door regains its 1879 design.

Inside, the spaces are completely reimagined. New enclosed staircases, a modernized elevator, discreetly integrated emergency exits, and accessibility features such as ramps and lifts ensure universal access without compromising the building’s historic volumes.

The interior architecture – vaults, ribs, and moldings – is revealed through precise and careful work. Spaces are enhanced, particularly through the recovery of previously unused attic areas, creating a unique and stimulating work environment for future users.

The intervention is contextual, understated, and committed. Thermal insulation is provided from the inside, structures are selectively reinforced, and materials are sourced from geo- and bio-based industries. The project aims for high energy performance while preserving the value and clarity of the original structure.

Outside, the Château’s historic English-style garden is reinterpreted by landscape designer Lynda Harris. Remarkable trees are preserved, new flowering beds introduced, and a predominantly native plant palette selected for drought resistance. Pathways are widened and made from permeable materials, improving the site's readability and flow. At the rear, former technical areas are fully greened, transforming the grounds into a calm and lively setting.

This architectural gesture is part of a broader urban vision. The entire Hertford British Charitable Fund site—bordered by Villiers, Barbès, Chaptal, and Voltaire streets—is undergoing a cohesive redevelopment. The two neighboring office buildings receive new façades that harmonize with the character of the site. At the southern end, the former maternity ward is being converted into housing. This existing, functional volume is preserved and enhanced with continuous balconies, providing each apartment with a quality outdoor space.

True to her philosophy, Maud Caubet here develops architecture that nurtures both form and connection—between past, present, and future residents.

PHOTOGRAPHY:  CHARLY BROYEZ

Architectural collection at the Palais de Chaillot, Trocadero, Paris.

One of the great tourist attractions in Paris lies in Trocadero, the Palais de Chaillot. The palace was partially rebuilt and remodeled in 1937 for the Exposition Internationale in a classical moderne style we would call Art Deco. However, tourists aren't there for the building itself but generally for the best view in town of the Eiffel Tower just across the river.

While tourists jockeyed for selfies in front of the tower I was admiring the crisp neoclassical details and these fantastic gilded statues gracing the courtyard.

8 gilded statues above fountains showing the 'rights of man' flank this terrace. I didn't come just for the Eiffel Tower views though but rather to see an amazing exhibit in the Paris Architectural Museum housed in Chaillot.

I'm not sure how in all of my travels to Paris I had never visited this museum (which was completely deserted, btw) but am so glad I can now add it to my Parisian repertoire.

The exhibit I'm speaking of is the "Masterworks of Architectural Drawing from the Albertina Museum" - a who's who of design history and quite the collection on view in Paris only until March 16, 2020.

Get up close and personal with these incredible drawings such as this rendering of the Hofburg in Vienna.

This stock exchange above for St Petersburg was designed by Giacomo Quarenghi in 1783 but never finished due to funding.

On the modern spectrum of the collection is the model by architect Adolf Loos in 1927 for Josephine Baker's unbuilt townhouse in Paris. 

Loos was a fan of Bakers and designed the townhouse gratis which may explain why it was never built!

Above is only a detail shot of an amazingly detailed painting from 1793 of the Augustus Bridge in Dresden by Johann Gottfried Klinsky. His accurate depiction of Dresden beyond the bridge is pretty amazing;  Compare the Frauenkirche with photos from a post I wrote in 2010 HERE.

I can never get enough of floorplans, even landscape plans. This plan of the Nymphenburg Palace and Gardens date to 1736 by both Dominique and Philipp Girard. 

Trained at Versailles, Dominique was a landscape architect who specialized in water features.  Starting in 1715 he began work at Nymphenburg which was later documented by his son Philipp in this painting in 1736; one of many gardens throughout Europe which were based on Versailles.

Each structure in the garden is carefully rendered and noted to a legend.

The pavilion above is reminiscent of the French Pavilion at the Petit Trianon at Versailles. See photos of that structure from my visit in 2009 HERE.

There are numerous other landscape plans with great details such as the scene above.

This gate was designed for the Beloeil Palace in Belgian by Charles de Wailly in 1782; unfortunately never built because of the French Revolution.

Antonio Galli-Bibiena designed this baroque theatrical backdrop in 1745.

Antonio Canova's monument for the archduchess was immortalized in this drawing by Domenico del Frate in 1805. 

Clemens Holzmeister designed an over-the-top cathedral in 1942 that towered 150 meters high made of reinforced concrete that could hold 14,000 worshipers.  Notice the scale figures of people in the drawing. 

Besides this exhibit which will be closing shortly, sadly, the museum has an enormous collection of plaster architectural fragments such as this copy of an arch at the Hotel de Rohan les Chavaux du Soleil above. One could spend all day wandering around the permanent collection.

A number of plaster architectural models dot the halls as well.

If you haven't been don't delay your visit to the Cite de l'architecture & du Patrimoine at Trocadero -you won't regret it!