The new art Center goes up on the banks of the River Doubs, at the foot of the citadel of Besançon, a fortress built by Vauban in the 17th century. Throughout the centuries this place has been perceived by its inhabitants as a physical barrier, both for its border position and for its industrial past. Two closed volumes house the two programs of the complex, the Besançon Art Center, which includes a contemporary art museum (FRAC – Contemporary Art Regional Funds) and a Conservatory with its own auditorium. A large perforated roof – with plants, glass and metal panels and solar panels to make a mosaic pattern –, brings all these programs together, creating between them an outdoor space that functions as gate to the city and as shelter, evoking the space beneath the trees, where light is softly filtered through the leaves. The nuanced light is also present inside the building thanks to the glass panels placed haphazardly on the roof. The continuity of the roof is interrupted only by a brick warehouse of the 1930s, which partially harbors the conservatory. The structure consists of 140 centimeter wide by 1 meter deep timber beams built on top of slender columns measuring 20 centimeters in diameter and 10 meters high.