A renowned Genovese Renzo Piano and his architectural practice have designed one more amazing building in Paris that housed the Fondation J?r?me Seydoux-Pathé – organization dedicated to the preservation of Pathé’s heritage, and to the promotion of cinematography.
Being inserted into one of the historic blocks of Paris, the new building has a strong connection with its surroundings. From the avenue des Gobelins, the entire facade with the valuable Auguste Rodin‘s bas-relief was kept almost untouched. The new elements are only an entrance area and a dome, modestly looking over the roof. In fact, this dome is a part of a huge structure that looks like a giant armadillo and occupies almost the whole plot of a courtyard. The shape is not accidental – it allows to provide the surrounding residential buildings with the daylight and ventilation, occupying, at the same time, the maximum volume inside the courtyard. The resulting building even left a little area for a garden nearby.
Renzo Piano often uses timber structures in his projects. This building is not an exclusion – its dome is supported by curved glulam beams. The dome itself is assembled of curved glass panels and covered, like a whole building, with perforated metal panels that, from a distance, look like scales. Under the dome, there are offices and a meeting room. The archival depository covers two floors below. The first floor houses an exhibition room for the foundation’s collection and temporary exhibitions. They could also take place in a spacious hall on the ground floor. On the underground floor, there is also a screening room dedicated to silent films. Surprisingly, here was the one of the first cinemas in Paris, which had been converted from a theatre at the beginning of the last century.
PROJECT DATA:
Site : 73, avenue des Gobelins, 75013 Paris
Total building area : 2200 m2
Site area: 839 m2
Building height: 25 m
Floors: 5
Client: Fondation J?r?me Seydoux – Pathé
Architect: Renzo Piano Building Workshop
Design team: B. Plattner and T.Sahlmann (partner and associate in charge) with G.Bianchi (partner), A.Pachiaudi, S.Becchi, T.Kamp; S.Moreau, E.Ntourlias, O.Aubert, C.Colson, Y.Kyrkos (models)
Consultants: VP Green (structure); Arnold Walz (model 3d); Sletec (cost consultant); Inex (MEP); Tribu (Sustainability); Peutz (acoustics); Cosil (Light); Leo Berellini Architecte (interiors)
Photos: Michel Denanc?