Caen, France 5 May 2026
The Foundation appoints Barozzi Veiga to design its future museum in Caen
Following an invited design competition involving eight architecture firms, the Fondation Gandur pour l'Art has selected Barozzi Veiga to design its museum, scheduled to open in Caen around 2030 on a six-acre site adjacent to the Memorial and Bird Hill.
Guided by the vision of Jean Claude Gandur, collector and founding chairman of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art, this future museum is intended to present to the public the works and objects held by the Foundation since its creation in 2010. It aspires to become a place of culture, transmission, sharing and vitality, open to all audiences, attentive to younger generations, and fully embedded in its local context in Caen and the Normandy region.
The appointment of Barozzi Veiga thus marks a structuring milestone in the realisation of the project. It opens the architectural design phase of a museum conceived not as a simple setting for exceptional collections, but as a place of experience, movement and dialogue between the works, the public and the site.
The proposal submitted by Barozzi Veiga stands out for its concept of an “inhabited atlas”, in which the architecture emerges from a gently contoured meadow: a low horizon of white-rendered walls from which several quiet towers rise. Set among trees and water basins, the museum pavilions—each fully accessible at ground level—are each endowed with a distinct character, offering, through a sequence of perspectives, a unique visual relationship between the collection and the surrounding landscape. The quality of the project’s integration into its setting, the restraint of its volumes, the organisation of reception spaces, the diversity of visitor routes and potential exhibition arrangements, as well as the strong permeability between built and landscaped elements, were particularly praised by the Evaluation Committee. The Committee recognised in this proposal the potential to create a lively and welcoming setting for meeting and cultural engagement.
“The selection of Barozzi Veiga is the culmination of a particularly rigorous consultation process, informed by in-depth discussions with teams that all submitted proposals of the highest quality. We took the necessary time to fully assess the implications of this decision: it was not simply a matter of choosing an architectural gesture, but of identifying the project best suited to expressing our ambition. We sought to create a place that is open and generous, capable of fostering a dialogue between the collections, the public and the landscape. The proposal by Barozzi Veiga embodies this vision with great sensitivity, respecting both the singularity of the site, the spirit of the collection, and our ambition to create a museum that is profoundly alive.” – Jean Claude Gandur, founding chairman of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art
“Designing the future museum of the Fondation Gandur pour l’Art in Caen is a rare responsibility. This project brings together an exceptional collection, a site deeply rooted in history, and an ambition of public openness that makes it far more than a cultural building. Our proposal seeks to create a place of encounter between the works, the city, the landscape and its visitors.” – Fabrizio Barozzi, founding director of Barozzi Veiga
