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Tignes gets a makeover

Tignes has always been a trailblazer, with its atypical history and multiple faces - mountain village and slope-side resort. And even today, Tignes continues to change.

FLASHBACK:TIGNES THE TRAILBLAZER KEY DATES

In the 20s, the village de Tignes, located at the bottom of the valley, at 1550 metres above sea level, already had 10 hotels
1934: Opening of the first ski school
1936: The first ski lift and the first Tourist Information Office
1952: Tignes village is swallowed up by the water of the Chevril dam. The population is scattered.
1954: A handful of Tignards (Tignes residents), who were skiing pioneers, set up home at 2100 metres above sea level on the banks of the natural lake in Tignes.
1956: The architect Raymond Pantz built the first tourist apartment complex, the “Paquebot des neiges” (the snow ocean liner). These crescent-shape buildings were located around the lake in Tignes, so as to get the most out of the view from all angles.
70s: The property developer Pierre Schnebelen designed Tignes Val Claret and developed the idea of a resort where you could ski to your door. In 1967, he cleverly equipped the Grande Motte glacier with ski lifts. Thus allowing us to ski all year ‘round!
1997: Tignes threw itself into a huge urban development project, banking on the excellence of famous architects Christian de Portzamparc and Jean-Michel Wilmotte. This saw the end of neo-regionalism! Tignes is undergoing a complete makeover to become a cutting edge ski resort, that is both modern and practical, in a fully integrated architectural style. 

 “KALINDA VILLAGE” OR THE REBIRTH OF THE LAST VILLAGE IN HAUTE TARENTAISE

From 1952 to 2013, from the construction of a dam to the “Kalinda Village”, the rebirth of a village that was once swallowed up by water
“KALINDA VILLAGE” is MGM Constructor’s new operation on the Boisses plateau, due to be completed in 2013.
More than a simple apartment complex, "Kalinda Village" will be a real village, nestled in the heart of ‘Espace Killy’ at Tignes 1800. The old road, which has been turned into a ski slope, will allow skiers to access the village on skis. The new Boisses’ cable car, which was opened in December 2010, enables skiers to quickly get to the top of the ski area.

Including a three-star hotel and a four-star apartment-hotel with a Spa, shops and services, the new Tignes village will spread out around the historic church at Boisses. Structured around three small squares, this new pedestrianised village takes its inspiration from the hamlets of old, whilst at the same time allowing you to ski right up to your door.

With this new operation, Tignes is able to extend its offerings for families in particular, who will be able to benefit from the advantages of an internationally renowned ski resort, but still be far from the party centre and the cosmopolitan bustle of Tignes 2100.

TIGNES LES BOISSES- A WITNESS OF THE PAST

Located at the heart of the ‘Espace Killy’ in the winter and the Vanoise national park in the summer, the old village of Tignes is experiencing a rebirth.
A look back on an atypical history, which began in 1947, just before the building of Tignes’ famous dam:
At the time, the hamlet of les Boisses was a little mountain village with its mountain pasture chalets. In the 30s, the first skiers began to follow “skiing fields” and already started to go through les Boisses.
In 1947, les Boisses experienced a certain growth, when it welcomed the EDF workers who lived on the plateau. In 1952, once the dam had been opened and the old village of Tignes had been swallowed up, Tignes les Boisses became the communal centre, due to its ideal location halfway between les Brévières at 1550 metres above sea level and Tignes le Lac at 2100 metres.
However, between 1948 and 1952, the period when the rush for ‘White Gold ‘began, Tignes les Boisses was quickly abandoned by pioneers in favour of developing Tignes le Lac at 2100 metres above sea level.
Until 1975, les Boisses plateau remained Tignes’ official administrative centre. The town hall, the post office, the school, the church and the cemetery were all built here. But in 1975, the administrative centre moved higher up, when it was transferred to Tignes le Lac.
In the 80s, new real estate projects were considered, but quickly abandoned in favour of Tignes les Brévières where a business park was constructed.

THIS TIME IT WILL HAPPEN

Up until now, les Boisses plateau has always been at the heart of a series of missed opportunities; but today, this plateau, which had been a touristic wasteland, will finally be developed.
Although for a long time considered to be simply a stopping-off point, Tignes les Boisses is, nevertheless, located at the heart of the ‘Espace Killy’. Incidentally, the oldest ski lifts were built here in the 50s. In the 60s, the residences that formerly housed the EDF engineers were converted into hotels. Club Med even built one of its first mountain holiday villages here.
Today, it is out of the question to even consider simply throwing up buildings. The existing ageing 3000-strong accommodation has been destroyed and rebuilt.
Since 2009, Tignes locals have already begun moving back into this area. Home ownership schemes and rented accommodation have already been built here for seasonal workers and yearlong residents.

TIGNESPACE, A SPORTS COMPLEX WITH MUSCLE

It is a simple fact: Tignespace sports centre which first opened to the public in 1986, has today reached its limits. It needs to be completely rethought. Consequently, Tignespace, currently undergoing renovation, is to become an ambitious new sports complex, of an extremely high quality, fitted out with state-of-the-art multipurpose and practical facilities. This new complex is designed for the use of customers and locals alike, including holidaymakers, groups and seminars, local associations and school groups etc.

The merits of hard work
This new sports complex boasts 1525m2 for team sports, and, in concert set-up, a space that can house nearly 1400 people. It also will provide users with a zone dedicated to athletics (including an 80-metre tartan speed running track, plus high jump and long jump facilities), two sports rooms designed for a whole range of sports activities (including dance, music, yoga, boxing and martial arts) and a weights room. In addition, it will offer three squash courts and an extraordinary climbing wall that will be able to cater for national competitions.

Incentives
In order to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for the organisation and the housing of symposiums and seminars, this new complex will also be a real congress centre, one that will be able to provide a work space and reception area all year ‘round.
With a designer salon-like structure, the auditorium seats over 380 people. The centre will also include 11 meeting rooms of 15 to 200m2 in size with various different set-ups, all of which will be equipped with WIFI, no doubt leading to the most successful brainstorming sessions!

Entertainment
Thanks to its extreme versatility, the new Tignespace will be able to house shows, concerts or indeed any large-scale indoor event.

Highlighting integration into the landscape
As Tignes makes it a point of honour to protect its local environment, the architect designing the new complex has taken inspiration from strong elements in the natural landscape:
- A large proportion of the southern face is covered in windows and paved with natural stones
- A green roof covers the entire building. This provides a magnificent panoramic view in the summer and a snow garden in the winter.
- The main face is sculpted in a modern and refined way.

The decision to completely demolish the existing building was ruled out in favour of a redevelopment and a horizontal extension:
- A low-level building to avoid hiding the other surrounding touristic structures, such as the buildings around the Lake, which include 600 apartments, the bowling alley, le Lagon (the water-sports centre), and garages etc.
- A harmonious architecture that fits in with the main square and the lake.
- Improved access for pedestrians and skiers around the whole area, encouraging the revitalisation of the Palafour shopping arcade, located just above Tignespace.

Schedule
The first phase of the work on the future Tignespace is already underway. The new Tignespace will be opened for the 2012-2013 winter season.

JEAN GALFIONE- MR AMBASSADOR
Jean Galfione, the famous pole-vaulter who became an Olympic champion in 1996, works for Tignes. Before officially hanging up his pole-vaulting gear in August 2005, Tignes approached the champion to ask if he would be willing to give his advice with regards to the development of their sports facilities. Tignes was also interested in his connections in the world of sport, to ensure that Tignespace met 100% of high-level athletes’ expectations, when they visit Tignespace for their altitude training.

LA MAISON DE TIGNES IS GETTING A MAKEOVER!

La Maison de Tignes le Lac, which was inaugurated at the end of 1999, will be closed from 9 May for renovations and re-development. This is because some of the spaces are no longer suitable for welcoming our clientele and no longer meet some of the European regulations in particular those concerning access for people with reduced mobility. The project management is being carried out by the architectural firm Plexus with the support of the original architect Mr De Portzamparc.

Internal transformations

The old ‘Patrimoine’ space which was used this winter as a picnic area will be turned into a lounge area where the STGM lift pass desks will be located.  

The R’Tignes radio studios will be set up where the STGM desks are currently located.

The mezzanine will be partially enclosed to increase the Multimedia area.  

The toilets between the ground floor and first floor will be resized and the luggage room which does not meet current demand will be moved to the ground floor in order to improve reception facilities for clients. It will also be made bigger.

A gangway will be built between the stairs and the Property Owner’s offices to provide access for those with reduced mobility.

The entrance doors will become automatic and the space between the double doors will be rebuilt.

The ‘Club des Sports’ offices will be installed in place of the museum’s film theatre whose studio will be moved to the P3 carpark.

External changes:

The exterior gangways as well as the emergency car park exits will be removed from the Main Square to enable the piste-bashers to work better on the snowfront.

The flow of clients has also been re-considered.