Le Bourget airport: the giant vault for works of art is complete

The investors are as tight-lipped as the new building is locked and heavily protected. Clad entirely in white, without a single window, the fortress nevertheless has one opening, created as a trompe-l’œil: a fake gilded painting hanging on the red and blue wall of a plush apartment. Only these touches of colour on the façade give a small clue as to where you are: in front of the first building in France designed purely for the conservation of works of art belonging to museums, gallery owners and private collectors.

Covering almost 25,000 m², it has just been handed over by the builder GSE to its co-investors and co-operators: the ADP group (Aéroports de Paris) and the company André Chenue. The latter, based in Saint-Denis, specialises in the transport, storage and installation of precious goods, from sculpture to the wildest creations, as long as they are valuable.

Controlled temperature and humidity

Beyond that, it is hard to find out more about the profile of future clients. Visits are not possible either. The amount invested, which has not been disclosed (either), runs to several tens of millions of euros. What we do know is that Le Bourget airport was chosen for its obvious proximity to Paris, the beating heart of art and home to some of the world’s greatest museums. The fortress will, for example, allow a museum undergoing renovation to store its works for a few months, or even a few years.

The Le Bourget vault offers 19,300 m² of storage space spread over four levels. To receive these heritage treasures, all the rooms are kept dust-free and protected against fire by a hypoxia system “which reduces the oxygen level in the air to 17% instead of 21%”, the builder explains.

The temperature and humidity of the spaces are also controlled, kept at constant values and can be adjusted remotely. A 24-hour security control room monitors the site, which is “equipped with anti-intrusion systems of the highest standards”, the fortress’s designers let it be known. We will learn no more, and on site the many cameras make no attempt to hide.

Original link: Aéroport du Bourget : le coffre-fort géant pour œuvres d’art est achevé - Le Parisien