The project we designed is a public route, an ascent of more than 50 meters from the city to the castle. This path, from the arrival by the historic center, through the courtyard of the "Palais des Gouverneurs" and the future museum will guide the visitors towards the upper levels until entering into the historic site. To get to this site, the visitor goes through a set of paths elaborated carefully both from a spatial and an optical way. The new construction that will ensure the mechanical ascent of the rock on which stands the Castle of Foix is as much a careful integration exercise in order to impact the least the heritage image of this exceptional site, as a unique stenographic intervention that can only strengthen the touristic and cultural influence at a national level.

Patrimonial Approach: The old plans and documents revealed three major aspects of site development related to the project: 1. The impregnate of the access device to the site formed by successive ramps, leaned against the cliff. The developments of the Palace of the Governors in the early eighteenth century have initiated an opening towards the city that the new project proposes to confirm by realizing a new forecourt and courtyard in a logic of continuity. 2. Staging of the site by terraces built on the cliff itself. The retaining walls that sculpt the topographic aspect of the castle, many times reconstructed, contribute more to the visual and patrimonial identity of the site that they constitute its authentic essence. The confrontation of the archives and of the site searches confirms the medieval origins of the panoramic terrace outer wall and of the powder magazine's foundations but also highlight that a large part of the walls were built during the construction of the 1825 ramps or more recent works. 3. The archives indicate the presence on the north slope of two main vertical structures that are perceptible on the cavalier view of 1620 : - The old ruined powder magazine located above the Palace - A turret located at the same level as the current Châtelet These two medieval structures are significant elements of the architectural design of the elevator's installation. It seemed appropriate to rely on these elements to highlight once again their singularity in the general system of walls and ramps built along the cliff.

Location: The project plans to organize the climb in two stages in order to limit embedding and exceeding volumes. The two vertical volumes lean against the existing walls and take advantage of the different situations to impact the least possible the existing structures. The first lift located next to the powder magazine will ensure the link from the Palace to the castellum. The second lift located in and above the castellum will ensure the connection to the panoramic terrace. In both cases, the architectural project is designed to create no emergences above the level of the existing railings. Slope ramp systems will permit access to the final levels.

Materiality: The architectural planning favors a simple and sustainable treatment of the constructions based on natural and local materials. That's why we asked a concrete mixing plant to define from the existing rock and on many samples: the hint, the aggregates, their revelation, and the general realization. Our desire is to look like the hue and grain of the stone, thanks to a special construction device. The elevator blocks, leaning against the stone, will then be subtly instituted. To ensure an aesthetic unity, the forecourt, ramps, walkways, benches, aedicules, and walls will all be realised in concrete thanks to different processes: sand-blasted concrete, polished concrete.