Audemars Piguet's new museum
Commission for Audemars Piguet
Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is a spiral-shaped building rising up out of the landscape of Vallée de Joux in Switzerland designed by BIG for the watchmaker to house its collection of timepieces.
The curved glass walls and the green roof of the BIG-designed pavilion sit next to the original Audemars Piguet workshop, which was set up in 1875.
This historic building has been restored by Swiss architecture office CCHE and connected to the new museum, which was also realised by the studio.
BIG designed the museum's curved glass walls to be load-bearing, so there are no columns or walls with the building. Bronze mesh sits over the top of the glazed facade to filter sunlight without obstructing views of the Jura mountains. The spiral roof's shape forms clerestory windows towards the centre that are also shaded with bronze. Grass covers the roof of the building to create a lawn in summer and a snowy scene in winter.
