Kengo Kuma & Associates has revealed the proposal to renew L’Aventure Michelin (The Michelin Factory) in Clermont-Ferrand, France, transforming a former Michelin manufacturing site into a cultural destination. As part of the broader revitalization of the Quartier des Pistes, the existing Michelin Adventure Museum will move into a nearby industrial hangar, carefully adapted to suit its new role. Respecting the legacy of the 1960s industrial complex, the design approaches the dormant factory as a stable spatial framework.
The design brief requires a meticulous renovation of the hangar’s iconic sawtooth roof, retaining its original metal frame while introducing a new timber structure that preserves the building’s 30-meter-long span. Rather than overwriting the past, the proposal treats the former Michelin factory as a stable spatial framework, with new architectural insertions precisely aligned to the existing column bays and roof trusses. The architectural additions are crafted interiors suspended within the original shell, allowing the logic of the industrial structure to remain intact while minimizing exterior and primary structural changes.
The design reflects the Japanese architect’s signature language of repetition and careful assembly, where spaces are formed through small, human-scaled elements that repeat across spaces and circulation routes. Subtle roof modifications draw daylight in through slender openings, while façade apertures align with the existing concrete frame, maintaining the scale of the former factory. Movement is shaped by the former factory floor, where narrow passages slip between structural bays before unfolding into expansive exhibition halls. Displays fill the full breadth of these spaces, echoing the building’s original scale.
Inside, the architecture is shaped by a sensitive palette of materials chosen for their tactile and human quality. Timber screens, ceilings, and railings reveal their natural grain and joinery, encouraging a close, personal engagement, while locally sourced bio-based panels sit in quiet contrast to exposed steel and concrete.
The renovation remains deeply rooted in Clermont-Ferrand, the city where Michelin first began its journey. By preserving industrial traces and incorporating locally sourced materials, the project keeps a strong connection to its surroundings, allowing the building to reflect both its place and its past while embracing a renewed cultural role.
Michelin Factory Museum Renovation Project Details
Project name: Michelin Factory Museum (L’Aventure Michelin—Renovation)
Location: Clermont-Ferrand, France
Architect: Kengo Kuma & Associates
Year: Ongoing
Photography: Kengo Kuma & Associates
