The island of Marie-Galante comprises three small cities with a common administrative and technical structure: the Community of Communes of Marie-Galante (CCMG). The main office was located in this small old building that has previously served for many different uses: barracks, hospital, school, administration ... this building is therefore part of the memory of the place and the people. Due to its modest original dimensions, and considering the magnitude of the desired expansion program, the building could easily have been demolished. Therefore, how can we reconcile the project with what already exists? How can we achieve the new expectations without erasing the existing traces of history in this city? Three boxes of glass, wrapped up in woven wood, are aligned with the same dimensions as the existing nineteenth century building to be preserved. Like three containers their volume is limited, simple and homogeneous in order to preserve the old building’s predominance. These three boxes symbolize the three municipalities of the island, in harmony with the essence of the new building's function, to represent the island of Marie-Galante in its entirety. The other symbolic dimension is the envelope of braided wood, which evokes the "gaulettes" (braided guava branches), an indigenous material the slaves of Marie-Galante once used to build their huts. Once inside, the space is accented with "gaulette" panels, subduing the light while protecting the lobby, the spaces and the interior gardens. The new structures are transparent, so that the old building appears as a solid and stable reference.