Behind the monumental tarpaulin which covers the north facade of the opera, an army of workers are busy on the scaffolding, putting their know-how at the service of what can be described as a project of exceptional scale. It is indeed a building that bears witness to the great moments of history since the Toulon opera house, built more than 162 years ago, was inaugurated 13 years before the famous Palais Garnier in Paris. Although it has been the subject of maintenance and redevelopment work over the last 20 years, it has never been the subject of in-depth rehabilitation to the point of requiring its closure for four years. This is the time that will be necessary for the project managers to restore this historic building to its full glory. Rest assured, 18 months have already passed, during which the artistic programming has never been interrupted, since the opera shines “outside the walls”, at the Liberté theater, in Châteauvallon, at the Zénith and in various performance venues of the Toulon area.
“A colossal project”
After the preliminary studies were carried out, a first phase of work began last September to carry out interior cleaning and asbestos removal operations as well as cleaning the north facade. Now is the time to tackle the complete interior renovation. A project that Yann Tainguy, president of the Board of Directors of the opera, describes as “colossal in its complexity and in terms of cost, i.e. 39 million euros. In addition to the renovation of the north facade, the building will be completely rehabilitated: stalls, balconies, redevelopment of the backstage, the stage cage, dressing rooms and administrative offices, enlargement of the orchestra pit, installation of elevators , restoration of the entrance hall, upgrading of accessibility standards, repair of electricity, plumbing, renovation of ironwork, temperature control… There are so many trades and specialties that the site was divided into 32 lots of public contracts, which represent as many specialties. »
A large number of different stakeholders who contribute to the complexity of the construction site: “It will be necessary to bring together workers who carry out heavy work with others who must carry out delicate restoration tasks in a dust-free environment. A system of isolation of trades will be put in place to allow them to work in their bubble. » explains Céline Girard, heritage architect at the Fabrica Traceorum agency.
Safeguard heritage
The objective of this large-scale work is the conservation of the historical heritage and therefore its enhancement. If the north facade is the object of all attention, it is the same for the six imposing muses representing the major arts which are attached to it. “ The statues are in good condition, but it is necessary to ensure that there are no areas of weakness in the weathering joint, hollows where water could stagnate and therefore attack the rock, she continues. We will then give a little patina, very gently. Heritage materials must be allowed to breathe… » Good news, Euterpe, the muse of music will find the flute she lost. The Regional Directorate of Cultural Affairs (DRAC) has given its agreement in principle for the manufacture of a restitution element for which it will be necessary to carry out studies and moldings on site to carry out template tests.
Rediscover the luster of yesteryear
On the interior side, the restorers will undertake to restore the original appearance of the place. A delicate work when we discover the successive decorations which intervened according to fashions and technical developments and accumulating over time, giving the whole an impression of incoherence.
Louis Duveau’s mounted canvas, in place since 1862 and made up of seven pieces, will benefit from a beneficial makeover. “ Its biggest drawback is that it is very dirty. But to know how to clean it, you must first access it to do some testing! Then analyze… Is it oil or tempera paint? asks Céline Girard. If it’s a tempera painting, you don’t need water, otherwise you’ll lose it! And so that the restorers can work, lying 20 meters above the ground, they will have to access via scaffolding which will take around a month to assemble! Once the cleaning is finished, they will have to identify the areas of deficiency and touch them up point by point. »
Improve spectator comfort
In addition to the conservation and enhancement of the historic building, this major project will improve the reception of spectators. But when it comes to bringing modern equipment to an old building, the difficulties are multiple. For air conditioning to be silent, the machines must be powerful and therefore bulky but as little visible as possible. The number of seats will be reduced somewhat to allow the installation of wheelchairs accessible to PMR. In addition, a modular seating system is planned for the occasional transformation of some of them. The time has come for the selected companies to manufacture prototypes. As the Toulon opera house is known for its exceptional acoustics, we must take into account everything that can contribute to modifying it, such as the padding of the seats, which contributes to the reverberation effect. The participation of acoustic specialists on the site is therefore essential. The stage, designed with a 7% slope to improve visibility for spectators from the last century, will be resurfaced. However, a mechanical set of jacks will be installed to allow its modularity.
The circle of catering professions being reduced, several companies which have proven themselves on the Notre-Dame construction site will soon find themselves on that of the opera. And perhaps on the scaffolding of Notre-Dame-de-la-Seds Cathedral which will also benefit from in-depth rehabilitation.
