Bernard Tschumi's HyperTent, a hyperbolic paraboloid structure, is the latest addition to the iconic Parc de la Villette. Prompted by the opening of L'Espace Chapiteaux, a space for contemporary circus performances, the new ticket booth located on the podium of Folie L4, originally a music venue, carefully negotiates its presence within the context. The morphology of the project allows for the two structures to coexist without interfering. At the same time, the materiality of the HyperTent makes for an iconic presence in juxtaposition with the adjacent folie.
The structure is the result of careful negotiation between strict functional economic requirements and its landmark-status context. The HyperTent is composed of a polycarbonate facade with a pattern designed by Bernard Tschumi Architects and a PTFE membrane. With its 50 square meters, the structure is the studio's smallest project so far and yet another addition to the rich architectural experience of Parc de la Villette.
The result of an international competition held in 1982, Parc de la Villette was part of the series of projects for the new monuments of Paris ("Les Grands Projets"). The aim of the competition was the revitalisation of an abandoned area in the North-East of the city and its transformation into an urban park of the 21st century. The design of Bernard Tschumi moved away from traditional planning through composition and hierarchy and instead proposed the superimposition of three systems: points, lines and surfaces where the Folies structures make up the system of points, the lines are circulations, and the surfaces are planted areas.
