Maison du Champagne given the perfect complexion uplift

Épernay is regarded by those in the know as the secret capital of the Champagne region in France. Now, its world-famous “Avenue de Champagne” has had an addition in the form of a newly constructed tourist office. Application of Repacryl retouching cosmetics to the concrete façade of the building left it with a blemish-free and aesthetically appealing fair-faced complexion.

Located some 140 kilometres east of Paris in the Marne département, Épernay is regarded along with Reims as one of the epicentres of French champagne culture. An estimated two hundred million bottles of world-famous brands of champagne are stored in the labyrinthine cellars of this small city of around 20,000 inhabitants. The legendary Avenue de Champagne in the city centre is considered to be France’s most valuable piece of real estate alongside the Champs Élysées in Paris.

 

Unattractive appearance remedied

The region's new tourist office, known as the "Maison de Champagne", was erected here alongside the splendid edifices showcasing the major champagne producers. However, the new building’s fair-faced concrete façade – exposed once the formwork had been removed – had an unattracLocated some 140 kilometres east of Paris in the Marne département, Épernay is regarded along with Reims as one of the epicentres of French champagne culture. An estimated two hundred million bottles of world-famous brands of champagne are stored in the labyrinthine cellars of this small city of around 20,000 inhabitants. The legendary Avenue de Champagne in the city centre is considered to be France’s most valuable piece of real estate alongside the Champs Élysées in Paris. tive appearance that fell short of the client’s expectations. It was therefore decided to have the façade visually enhanced by BEC Construction using MC concrete cosmetics. BEC had successfully used the system on several occasions, including a retouching project involving the concrete façade of the Le Zash office complex in Bezannes, France. The company CONTREAT was selected to carry out the work. Lucas Loupe, area manager for Infrastructure & Industry at MC in France, was responsible for overseeing the project on site.

Attractive, blemish-free fair-faced concrete

MC’s purely acrylic dispersion Repacryl was used to achieve an appealing, homogeneous appearance across the concrete surfaces of the Maison du Champagne. Repacryl is based on exclusively mineral pigments, is UV-stable, weather-resistant and light-fast, making it the ideal solution for upgrading exposed concrete surfaces. It is available in three greys which are miscible so that any concrete-matching nuance can be created. The Repacryl mix was applied in the Épernay project using the spray technique, which meant that the work was soon finished. The result: The unwanted colour differences in the fair-faced concrete were eliminated to leave an aesthetically attractive, uniform and blemish-free surface. Thus, the modern façade of the Maison de Champagne is able to more than hold its own in the midst of the high-calibre, classical environment created by the most famous champagne houses in France.