The architectural firm Bjarke Ingels won a competition for the extension of the historic Audemars Piguet headquarters in Switzerland.
Located in the town of Le Brassus and nestled in the landscape of the Vallée de Joux, the Musée Atelier Audemars Piguet is a museum, workshop and archive for the luxury watch brand. It is housed in a double spiral building whose green roof becomes a pedestrian walkway supported by a façade of curved glass walls.The rooms inside its meanders are also separated by glass walls, allowing a complete view of the building and the workshops. The new museum that will be built will provide a direct link to the renovated founder’s house, a historic structure that is the birthplace of the AP watchmaking workshop.

The architects have envisioned the museum’s design as a metaphorical extension of an Audemars Piguet watch. “It is inspired by a watch that stores and delivers its energy,” says the architect Ingels, who was personally involved in the project.
“The museum is almost like an open work. Nothing is hidden, all the elements you see are displayed and are part of the narrative, gently curving the concentric circles“.

Opening to the public on 25 June, the 25,800-square-metre building will allow visitors to move intuitively through its concentric circles of exhibition space, introducing the technique and craftsmanship of the famous brand’s 145 years of watchmaking.
In addition, there will be a 7,000 square metre adjacent hotel to accommodate visitors to the centre. Currently under construction, the Hôtel des Horlogers has five zig-zag slabs that create an external sloping path along the front facade, an allusion to the surrounding ski slopes.

A project that, like the well-known watches, stands out for its elegance and beauty, capable of blending innovation and tradition.