Five architecture practices shortlisted to design a wine centre in the Languedoc

SERCIB, the private client, launched a competition on 11 July for the design of a wine centre in Roujan, between Béziers and Montpellier. The 9,500 m² project in the Languedoc is due to open in early 2014, and the architects have until 4 October to develop their proposals.

The practices selected to compete are: Massimiliano Fuksas Architecture; Isabel Herault & Yves Arnod Architectes; Kuma & Associates; Gabor Mester de Parajd – ACMH; and Rudy Ricciotti's practice, recently featured on Actuarchi. The client says it chose these practices "for their experience and the distinctiveness of their work".

In October 2002 the SERCIB group acquired the Château-Abbaye de Cassan, where it intends to set up a research and prevention centre devoted to workplace wellbeing and to the physical fitness of senior executives, to be known as the Corporate Wellness Center (CWC). The new project is conceived as a link with the restoration of the château. The centre will stand on the plain, one kilometre from the existing château, in the midst of a Mediterranean landscape of vineyards and olive groves. The two sites will be in dialogue, connected by a pedestrian path.

The wine centre will include a winemaking and maturation cellar, an auditorium and a 250-seat restaurant, together with a 120-room four-star hotel, for a total of 9,500 m². The centre is expected to be innovative and resolutely contemporary. It will offer generous, welcoming spaces, particularly in the reception area, the restaurant and the auditorium. The latter will host seminars and wine-themed workshops. Visitors will also be able to taste the wines.

The client has given the architects carte blanche on access, height and orientation; the project must reflect SERCIB's ambitions for the future. Frédéric Lebel, founder and managing director of SERCIB, told the architects: "this competition gives you free rein to experiment with architectural forms or to use materials in new ways. Your proposal must be based on sustainable development and be energy-efficient." He added that the local development plan (PLU) was recently revised, which leaves the freedom to create a genuine "landmark building of exceptional scale".

On 11 October 2011 the architects will present their proposals in person to an advisory committee, and the winner will be announced around mid-November.

• Client: SERCIB
• Location: Roujan, 34, France
• Competition launch date: 11 July 2011
• Submission deadline: 4 October 2011
• Winner announced: mid-November
• Completion date: early 2014
• Floor area: 9,500 m²