Paris: The Latest Architecture and News

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Located in the heart of the French capital, among historical edifices and large Haussmannian avenues, the building of the ‘Chambre des notaires de Paris’ is an emblematic place to the profession of ‘notaires’ in France and house them since its construction in 1850.

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Henning Larsen has been selected to expand and transform the French Opéra Bastille, the largest opera house in Paris. Designed with collaborators Reichen et Robert & Associés, dUCKS Scéno, Peutz & Associés Acoustic Consultants and CET Ingénierie, the proposal includes a redesigned and extended public foyer that will open to street-level activity, as well as expanded infrastructure and workshop facilities, and the addition of a new 800-seat auditorium for use as rehearsal and performance space.

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Paris is set to make public transport free for all children under the age of 11. As detailed by Le Parisien, September 2019 will see new concessions rolled out across the Greater Paris region including free metro and bus travel for people under 11, including non-nationals, and free travel for people with disabilities under the age of 20. In addition, high school students between 14 and 18 will receive a 50% concession, as well as a free bike share account on the city’s Vélib scheme.

The scheme is expected to cost €15 million ($17 million) per year, only a fraction of the €10.1 billion ($11.5 billion) annual budget for the region’s public transport system, and is part of a broader strategy to make public transport more affordable for Parisians. In Spring 2018, the city also introduced free annual travel passes for low-to-medium income citizens with disabilities, and people over 65.

Zaha Hadid Design has released images of its latest collection set to be featured at the Maison et Objet 2019 in Paris later this month. The collection, embodying Zaha Hadid’s inventive process, features a Swirl bowl in crystal glass, and a monochromatic marble collection from the Cell range.

The Maison et Objet festival is described as the international authority for home décor, interior design, architecture, and lifestyle culture, with its bi-annual Paris trade fair taking place from January 18th to 22nd 2019.

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The latest Apple Store designed by Foster + Partners has opened on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, occupying the grounds and courtyard of a historic Parisian apartment. The ornate Beaux-Art building has been appropriated by “carefully interweaving several layers of history with contemporary, light-filled and inviting spaces.”

The design is the result of a close collaboration by Foster + Partners and Apple’s chief design officer Sir Jonathan Ive, which has produced Apple Stores around the world including Piazza Liberty in Milan, Michigan Avenue in Chicago and Regent Street in London.

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The Fondation Le Corbusier has celebrated its 50^th anniversary with the unveiling of a restored apartment originally designed by the famous architect. The studio apartment on Nungesser-et-Coli in Paris was designed by Le Corbusier in 1931 for his own habitation and was completed in 1934.

The apartment underwent two years of restoration following its listing as a classified world heritage site in 2016 and is now open to the public.

Andres Gallardo, the self-taught Spanish photographer, recently traveled to Paris to capture the city’s urban architecture, documenting the spirit of the buildings, the city’s rich architectural history, and international design influence.

Gallardo describes the city as “magical,” which he chooses to document in both monochrome and color photographs, incorporating overall perspectives and small structural details that often obscure the structures’ overall identity.

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This article was originally published as "What Marchers Today Can Learn from the May 1968 Protests in Paris" on CommonEdge in May 2018. In the 50 years since the historic and worldwide protests of 1968, much has changed. But today's political climate seems equally volatile, with seismic changes threatening social and political establishments across the globe. Lessons from the past are, to borrow the phrase of the moment, more relevant than ever.

American friends recently sent an email: “What’s going on with the French political system? Why all the strikes? What about the endless protest marches? We’d like to visit you in Paris, but we’re a little wary.”