Paris: The Latest Architecture and News

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On view at La Galerie D'Architecture until April 9, Jarmund / Vigsnæs Architects, Constructing Views 2011-2014, will exhibit 16 projects completed by the Norwegian architects in the last three years.

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• Architects

  MOATTI-RIVIERE

• Location

  Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France

• Area

  4586.0 sqm

• Project Year

  2014

• Photographs

  Courtesy of Moatti-Rivière

• Location

  Eiffel Tower, Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France

• Project Year

  2014

• Photographs

  Courtesy of MOATTI-RIVIERE

• Area

  4586.0 m2

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After a nine-month long competition, LAN Architecture has been commissioned to restructure and extend the historic Grand Palais in Paris. With the intent to “restore the building’s original coherence and sense of transparency,” LAN plans to revamp the 1900 World’s Fair building by resorting its unity and circulation, as well as the volume of its galleries around the Grand Nave and the addition of a new entrance court.

Review the plan in more detail, after the break...

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In this powerful interview, Jean Nouvel explains his relationship to Arabic architecture. Discussing his various projects in Arabic countries - such as his office tower in Doha or the Louvre Abu Dhabi - Nouvel discusses how he is influenced by and integrates the abstraction and geometry of traditional Islamic architecture into his modern designs. He also espouses a strong opinion on the understanding of context in architecture, saying: "I'm a contextual architect, but for me the context isn't only the site. It's above all a wider historical context - a cultural context... each time, building is trying to continue a history, and to take part in this history." His architecture, he says, is about listening: "The architect is not meant to impose his own values or his own sensitivities on such general plans." Video via Louisiana.

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Videos

We architects know full well the power of renderings to capture the imagination. Apparently - so too do politicians. Capitalizing on the popularity of adaptive reuse projects around the world (a trend instigated by the success of New York's High Line), French politician Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet has made converting Paris' unused "ghost stations" a major part of her platform, promising that these projects will come to pass should she be elected mayor.

The renderings, by Manal Rachdi OXO Architects and Nicolas Laisné Associés, show the Arsenal station (unused since 1939) alternately as a swimming pool, a green park, restaurant, disco, or theater. As there are in fact 16 disused metro stations in Paris, the idea behind these renderings is to instigate debate among practitioners as to how these spaces could best serve the city. See all the renderings, after the break.