Aquascope

At the scale of the entire site, the topography and hydrological context generate new spatial configurations that address accessibility while enhancing the visitor experience. The extended pedestrian bridge becomes the key infrastructural gesture, reorganising all flows and clarifying the relation between public, ticketed and staff areas. It creates a dramatic and elevated arrival sequence that reveals the landscape before reaching the building. At the end of the bridge, visitors may access the restaurant, the reception hall, the new offices, the existing polyvalent hall or the external observation path. The museum route is flexible: after purchasing a ticket, visitors can begin with the exhibition hall or continue directly outdoors. A clear system of paths, orientation points and reading devices supports an intuitive and layered discovery of the environment, while maintaining full accessibility for all users.

The new entrance sequence forms a scenographic crescendo. The bridge replaces the former glazed entrance and shifts the arrival outdoors and above ground, offering panoramic views and positioning the visitor within the landscape from the very first steps. As it passes between the two existing buildings, it frames views into the new glass façades of the offices and down into the main exhibition hall, gradually revealing the site’s spatial and ecological richness. This elevated path culminates in a series of outdoor routes leading towards the lake, punctuated by small architectural “fabriques” that support interpretation and observation. The project ultimately transforms Aquascope into a clearer, more generous and landscape-rooted experience—one that strengthens its educational mission while enhancing the emotional encounter with the territory of Virelles.