The house where the famous music composer Claude Debussy was born and where he spent the first years of his life was turned into a museum dedicated to his life and work in 1980. Initially built around 1680, the house remains one of the most significant examples of late seventeenth-century urban architecture in Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Two buildings are organized around a courtyard, in which an exterior staircase with wooden balusters provides access to the passageways: these architectural elements contribute to the heritage quality of the site, which is partially protected as a French historical monument. Therefore, our intervention aimed both at highlighting the architectural layout and specificities that are constitutive of the identity of the former house, while improving the visitors’ journey and the working conditions of the staff. The redistribution of the museum spaces, the implementation of a small auditorium, and the reorganization of the working environment (offices, storage, and technical rooms) have been designed to ease access and circulation throughout the site.
The renovated facades and the new wooden “storefront” provide the museum with improved visibility from the street and invite passers-by to come and visit the native home of Claude Debussy, while reminding them of the initial function of the building, which hosted a commerce on the ground floor. A lifting platform is set at the entrance to manage the level with the street level. The creation of an elevator in the building located at the back of the courtyard allows a greater number of visitors to access the upper floors.