Philharmonie de Paris, France

 
Jean Nouvel and Brigitte Métra designed the Paris philharmonic concert hall, completed in January 2015. Accoustics were considered by Nagata Acoustics and Marshall Day Acoustics. The hall seats 2,400 and rises 37m.

Faure’s Requiem was played for the opening ceremony, in honor of the recent victims of the Charlie Hedbo terror attacks. But Nouvel was not in attendance. The architect explained he wants to distance himself from the soaring cost, €390 million, the premature opening schedule, and the project delays.

The angular exterior glints sunlight from its aluminum and steel cladding. The 340,000 tiles suspend building elements in air, like birds or leaves in the wind. Inside, accoustic ceilings are hung and seating tiers float majestically. Despite Nouvel’s bitterness, and despite the bad reviews, the building could be quite charming once everything is finished up.

The designers aim for social transition through the architecture. It is located in a lower class part of town, and gestures to the eastern suburbs through digital projection on its walls. But other than that, I don’t see how it could actually achieve greater social integration.

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(Francisco Anzola– flickr/creative commons license)

(dalbera– flickr/creative commons license)

(dalbera– flickr/creative commons license)

(dalbera– flickr/creative commons license)

(dalbera– flickr/creative commons license)

 

(featured images by Francisco Anzola on flickr/creative commons)