Press Release - Versailles - Château de Versailles

A creatiVE WORK of the
Bouroullec brothers
in the Gabriel staircase
In 2011, Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec were
chosen for the design of a mobile work for
lighting and developing the Gabriel staircase.
The Gabriel staircase, whose construction began
in 1772 based on the plans of Ange-Jacques
Gabriel, was intended to replace the
Ambassadors staircase, destroyed in 1752.
However, the work was soon interrupted. The
staircase was completed in 1985, based on the
original plans.
exterior work
The roofs of the Palace
2,400 m² de roofs restored
Several large-scale operations involving the
roofs will be completed in 2012. Following on the
operations already carried out on the roofs in
the south and west of the Royal Courtyard, the
roofs in the north of the courtyard in immediate
proximity to the former Ambassadors staircase
are to be restored.
The restoration work covers 3 aspects:
- Restoring the shape of the roofs at the end of
the Ancien Régime: apart from the slate and
lead roofing, major work will be carried out on
the rafter structures, including the partial reestablishment
of the upper floor under the roof
added in the early 18 th century and levelled in
1860. The small courtyard providing overhead
natural light for the Louis-Philippe staircase will
also be refurbished with the reconstruction of
the glass roof and the restoration of its façades in
plastered stonework.
- Restoring the original decor: in order to reestablish
the symmetry of the rich ornamentation in
gilt lead, installed in 1679-1680 by Jules Hardouin-
Mansart, as well as the abundant allegorical stone
statuary decorating the balustrades, the present
project will restore or replace the decorative
elements: skylights, bull’s-eyes, statues, fleurs-de-lys,
stone flame urns and moulded lead decorations.
Some of the latter will be gilt with gold leaf again.
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- Eliminate the sanitary problems of the slate and
lead roofing. The gutters and pipes will also be
replaced.
Cost: €3.1M
Prime Contractor: 2 BDM, Frédéric Didier,
ACMH
In the spring, the operation to repair the lead
roofs over the Hall of Mirrors will begin.
Cost: €1.2M
Prime Contractor:
2 BDM, Frédéric Didier, ACMH.
the bouroullec
brothers
Lastly, in November 2011, the Prime Contractor
for the architectural conservation department of
the Establishment launched the major repair
work on the lead roofs above the Hercules Salon
and the upper vestibule of the Chapel.
Cost: €0.45M
Work remaining to be done around the Royal
Courtyard includes the roofs of the old wing in
the framework of the refurbishment of the
Dufour pavilion and the old wing, programmed
in 2013 and 2014, and the roofs above the room
of the Etats Généraux and the “régie” stairway
also programmed in 2014.
Ronan Bouroullec, born in 1971
and Erwan Bouroullec, born in
1976, have worked together for ten
years. Their collaboration is a
permanent dialogue nourished by
their differences but reinforced by
their brotherly complicity.
The chandelier that they have
designed for the Gabriel stairway
is for them a totally new
development both in its design
and execution.
www.bouroullec.com