The extension of Le Corbusier's site in Ronchamp by Renzo Piano

In the vicinity of one of the most famous sacred buildings of the last century, the pilgrimage church Notre Dame du Haut in the French Ronchamp, a new visitor center and accommodation for twelve religious sisters is to be built according to the project of Renzo Piano. Already Le Corbusier had planned to build a monastery next to the church, which he was not able to fully realize at that time. Tadao Ando and Jean Nouvel were also invited to the competition. The commission was ultimately awarded to Piano, who is "simultaneously a poet and a philosopher." Piano is to build only 60 meters from the church, and he thus tries to make his design as inconspicuous as possible using trees and burying it into the ground.
The visitor center next to the parking lot consists of a pair of leaning triangular roofs. Accommodation for the nuns is embedded in the hillside, and the interiors are illuminated from above by orange "light cannons." A chapel will be added to the small monastery, which will again be covered by a triangular roof. The Parisian Fondation Le Corbusier, which takes care of the master's legacy, has expressed concerns about the project, fearing that "after ten years the nuns will leave and instead they will be replaced by a 'Bed and Breakfast' hotel. We have nothing against Renzo Piano or the construction program, but we kindly request it to be located at a greater distance from the church." The foundation's dismissive stance could ultimately jeopardize the entire project. A building permit is expected to be granted soon, which has also been supported by the French Ministry of Culture, after which the foundation will have a two-month period to submit its comments. There are indications that the foundation (either sooner or later) planned to take Ronchamp into its ownership, and the current construction activities have somewhat complicated those plans. Link>