The conversion of industrial buildings into cultural venues remains very much in keeping with the postmodern spirit of the times. Housed in former reinforced concrete market halls, the new municipal cultural centre in Montataire (Oise, France), run by the AAPH-HBAAT association, is nonetheless remarkable for its precision and minimalist design.

What could be more commonplace these days than the conversion of a disused industrial hall (of which our regions are still full) into a cultural facility, a sector that continues to expand in our post-Fordist societies? The new municipal ‘cultural centre’ in Montataire, a small town on the banks of the Oise, 70 km north of Paris, falls into this abundant category. It is nevertheless striking, as much for the quality of the original building – a reinforced concrete hall designed in two phases by the Perret brothers – and the modest budget (around 4 million euros excluding VAT) as for the rigour, restraint and precision with which the architects worked, the now familiar partnership between the architectural practices of Pierre Hebbelinck (AAPH) and Heleen Hart/Mathieu Berteloot (HBAAT).