Project : Architecture

Chambord: Utopian Palimpsest

Chambord Inachevé International Exhibition | National Estate of Chambord | 2019

There are powerful parallels between the Château de Chambord and Sir Thomas More’s Utopia: both are unfinished allegorical works spanning past and future. What explicitly defines utopia is its radical relationship to its surrounds. More’s Utopia was famously (and incorrectly) depicted in Ambrosius Holbein’s 1518 woodcut as an island, when in fact it appeared in More’s original text as a peninsula connected to the European mainland. Utopia’s tethered condition, in dialogue with its socio-political context, conceptually binds it to the unfinished project of Chambord. Even as the château itself was conceived of as a strong figure, each shift in royal ownership marked a new conception of its exterior, and thus a new shift in defining what is utopia. Spanning from the 16thc. to current times, Chambord’s grounds have constantly evolved and devolved, from a naturalistic to highly controlled, from productive to decorative, from closed to open.

Like reconstructing More’s peninsula in reverse, our proposal for Chambord’s future is a simultaneous overlay of the past and present. Extending the diverse programming that marked the important shift of the château from private to public control, we imagine the extension and intensification of year-round activities, tightly integrated into the site and building. Reinterpreting and occupying the historical lines of the previous eras, the future of the site gains its flexible multi-use through the daily practice of the palimpsest. Finally, the historical confusion of what is the formal ‘front’ of the château is re-read as a positive ambiguity: Four programmatic fronts emanate from the château’s geometry, forming quadrants based on Trade, Production, Performance, and Nature. These regions work as a whole to posit utopia as a contingent and constantly evolving concept.

International Exhibition: Eighteen universities from five continents were selected to exhibit their research within the historic Château de Chambord.

Contingent Utopia: Contrary to popular belief, Sir Thomas More’s original Utopia was a peninsula, not an island. By recovering this vision, we reconceive the walled-off Château de Chambord as a contingent, unfinished project.

Past, Present, and Future: While the château is preserved, the surrounding landscape becomes a five-century historical narrative—a new ground for imagining future uses.
Siteplan as Palimpsest: Though the château was conceived as a singular figure, each royal owner reimagined its surroundings—each time redefining “utopia.” Since the 16th century, Chambord’s grounds have constantly evolved: shifting from naturalistic to controlled, productive to decorative, and closed to open.
Palimpsest Programming: We imagined an intensification of year-round activities. The western quadrant is a production zone where historical maps reveal ancient farming and workshop lines. To the north, informal landscapes converge into a performance zone that also restores natural waterways for flood control. The eastern quadrant features restored wetlands—a “post-human” utopia where AI avatars act as ghosts of centuries-old hunting programs. Finally, a second northern quadrant utilizes movable pavilions to extend the existing flea market.

Crucially, the intersections of these zones create multivalent synergy. Urban farming emerges between production and trade. At the seam of performance and production, a massive solar array and an allée of wind turbines provide both energy and a monumental entry experience. This energy autonomy reflects the core ideal of utopian independence. Finally, at the intersection of Nature and Performance, a stable, aviary, and garden host intimate gatherings.
Four Fronts: Five centuries of historical drawings reveal a persistent confusion regarding the château’s formal “front,” a condition exacerbated by the recent northeast parking area. Rather than privileging one historical period over another, we embrace this ambiguity as a positive launching point. Four programmatic fronts now emanate from the château’s geometry, forming quadrants dedicated to Trade, Production, Performance, and Nature.
Entry Village: The density of the historic village is amplified by restoring demolished structures, creating a pedestrian-scaled approach from the parking area.
Entry Plaza: A final courtyard frames a fragmented view of the roofscape, transforming the singular château into a distant assembly of many buildings.
Production × Performance Quadrants: The intersection of these two quadrants features a solar array covering the parking area and a village-like assembly of buildings built on ancient foundations. New programming includes a visitor center, restaurants, a hotel, and galleries for local artists-in-residence.
Garden Market: The expansive “front” garden is activated by modular stalls that fold into the footprint of a previously existing structure, accommodating diverse and flexible uses.
Multi-functional Event Space: Modular market stalls and telescoping greenhouse sheds allow the formal garden to adapt to a wide range of seasonal events.
Event Space: Transformable greenhouse structures enable a diverse range of pop-up events and seasonal programming.
Intersecting Structures: Two historical structures—the garden stable and the aviary—are simultaneously restored to the present, fostering new spatial interactions.
Production × Performance Quadrants: Botanical gardens, the existing stable, and an aviary create a transitional zone between the active market and the natural surrounding
Excavated Historical Ground: The traces of an agricultural village are transformed into gardens and buildings for production and exhibition.
Production × Trade Quadrants: Ancient agricultural lot lines form the basis for urban farming and artist-in-residence workshops, generating fresh content and goods for the market garden.
Boating and Glamping: Adjacent to the existing parking area, visitors can experience a portion of the restored waterways via rented canoes and integrated camping facilities.
Formal and Informal Landscapes: Historical landscapes and lightweight interventions converge into a new performance zone, providing a stunning context for events like the Son et Lumière light festival. By restoring waterways to their natural forms, the area simultaneously functions as a vital flood control zone.
Nature and Performance Quadrants: Channelized waterways, originally designed for flood mitigation, are restored as recreational and performance landscapes. To reinstate historical habitats, selective zones remain “view only,” limiting human impact on the ecosystem.
P : A Team Presentation: All 22 global universities gathered for an on-site symposium to collaborate and present their findings.
Exhibition Opening: The opening ceremony welcomed 1,500 guests to celebrate the project’s launch.

Project Team
John Hong AIA, LEED AP (lab director), Seungjae Kang (Lead Researcher), Jungho Kwon, Ah Young Kim, Won Seob Cho, Jiyeong Yi, Sohee Yoon, Hyein Kim

Exhibit Curator
Dominique Perrault

Organizer and Host
National Estate of Chambord

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