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AuthorSalvator-John A. Liotta

PhotographyMichel Denancé

Published21 July 2014

LocationParigi

SectionsArchitecture, Interviews

KeywordsFondation Jerôme Seydoux-Pathé, Renzo PianoBuilding Workshop, RPBW, Thorsten Sahlmann

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The Fondation Jerôme Seydoux-Pathé is Renzo Piano BuildingWorkshop’s latest project in Paris and nearing completion. Itsfunction is to promote cinematography and preserve the

 

RPBW: Fondation PathéThorsten Sahlmann explains the essence of the latest parisian project by Renzo Piano: the

Fondation Jerôme Seydoux-Pathé, that will house office space, archives, a record and research centre,exhibition spaces and a screening room for the historical film company.

 Architecture / Salvator-John A. Liotta

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function is to promote cinematography and preserve thecollection of Pathé, the celebrated film company founded in1896.

The upper portion of the design was dictated by the desire to maintain a respectful distance from the surrounding buildings and, most importantly, theidea to improve the neighbours’ natural light and ventilation. Photo © Michel Denancé

The Foundation is on Avenue des Gobelins in the XIIIarrondissement, just a stone’s throw from Place d’Italie, on a sitefirst occupied by the Théâtre des Gobelins in the late 19thcentury. Converted to the renowned Cinema Rodin in 1934 andthen radically revamped to become a multi-screen cinema in the1990s, this new design is the final stage in its metamorphosisand will house approximately 2,200 m² of office space, Pathéarchives, a record and research centre, exhibition spaces and ascreening room.

Thorsten Sahlmann of RPBW took us on a tour of theworks and explained the essence of the design.

The Foundation is on Avenue des Gobelins in the XIII arrondissement, just a stone’s throw from Place d’Italie, on a site first occupied by the Théâtre desGobelins in the late 19th century. Photo © Michel Denancé

Salvator-John A. Liotta: Concept and context are twodesign essentials. Over past years, there has been a growinginterest for works that dialogue with the context, after listeningto what is already there for signals and suggestions. In somecases however – such as the grid plan for New York, a city thathas, over the years, developed into a world capital –a concept,idea and model totally detached from the context succeed,perhaps by the force of abstraction, in forging a totally new place.How did you resolve the concept-context pairing in the design ofthe Fondation Jerôme Seydoux-Pathé?

Thorsten Sahlmann: At RPBW, we believe it is essentialto cultivate a specific sensitivity for each place. When doing this,inserting a piece of architecture into a city like Paris with a stronghistoric stratification becomes a complex challenge because itmeans establishing as open as possible a dialogue with whatalready exists. When we embarked on the project, weimmediately came up against the local building restrictions. Wefound ourselves – along with the municipal engineers – usingthis project almost as a “case study” that would produce insightinto the implementation of quality urban architecture.

The outer surface is made of thousands ofperforated aluminium pieces. Photo © MichelDenancé

As well as responding to the client’s functional requests,we wanted to upgrade the quality of the urban space around thenew design, without sacrificing three principles: respectinghistory, being open to innovation and increasing the amount ofgreen space.

Renzo Piano emphasised the prestige of the existingfacade on Avenue des Gobelins, a decision prompted not only byits historic and artistic worth – it has been classified as a historicasset since 1977 and features sculptures by a young AugusteRodin – but also and most importantly by the fact that it is anurban landmark in the Gobelins quarter, an icon which peopleare fond of and call their own.

The Fondation Seydoux-Pathé lobby is a transparent space offering access to the Foundation and resembling a greenhouse. Photo © Michel Denancé

Salvator-John A. Liotta: You have preserved thebuilding’s outer envelope but, on the inside, it is as if an alienhas landed in the form of a sinuous upward-soaring mass.  I usethe term alien with the etymological meaning of “strange andforeign”; I don’t believe there is a direct reference in Parisianarchitectural morphology. Where did this form come from andhow did you come to define it as a whole?

Thorsten Sahlmann: Once inside the historic façade youare in the Fondation Seydoux-Pathé lobby, a transparent spaceoffering access to the Foundation and resembling a greenhouse.Passers-by in the street see a garden and, if they look up, enjoythe curved structure housing the main functions delivered by thedesign. We created an “egg-shape” from the idea of producing asort of organic being with fluid forms that would find its intimacyin the metropolis.

We freed up what was previously a densely constructedspace, with the result that the trapezoidal plot can now breatheand permits a fluid passage through the space. The ground floorof the building has few vertical supports, allowing great visualand physical permeability. The upper portion of the design was

dictated by the desire to maintain a respectful distance from the

dictated by the desire to maintain a respectful distance from thesurrounding buildings and, most importantly, the idea that wecould improve the neighbours’ natural light and ventilation. Theowners embraced the idea of having more green space and lessbuilt area to benefit the overall quality of the design. To do this,we reduced the footprint on the ground and created a garden atthe back of the plot. The result is a vegetable haven in the densemineral context of Paris. Among other things, given the differentfront and rear levels, and the need for a link, we opted for a slightslope rather than steps and ramps. This means that the groundfloor slopes slightly and naturally follows the topology of thelocation.

The building has an “egg-shape” from the idea of producing a sort of organic being with fluid forms. Photo © Michel Denancé

Salvator-John A. Liotta: The curtain wall consists in adouble skin, solid in parts and transparent in others. Thisdifference becomes manifest in the evening when the office lightscome on. What mood were you trying to create; what materialsand technical solutions did you adopt?

Thorsten Sahlmann: The outer surface is made ofthousands of perforated aluminium pieces. The first two floorsfeature light-sensitive materials and require no windows. Thanks

to the dual skin in glass and aluminium, the top two floors –

to the dual skin in glass and aluminium, the top two floors –housing the office spaces and a meeting room – have maximumbenefit from the natural light. The timber arches also exalt theinternal space of the building, which is extremely comfortable.As a whole, it resembles the hull of a ship, sailing in the Parissky. The Fondation Seydoux-Pathé is a discreet presence, by daywith the reflections produced by the weather and by night whenit emanates suffused light. The entrance space behind the mainfacade will become a screening area, thanks to advancedtechnology for daylight HD video projection. This will helpincrease the overlap between light intensities and the alternationof visual projections of the constructed masses – helping tocreate a rarefied and serene atmosphere.

The timber arches also exalt the internal space of the building, which is extremely comfortable. As a whole, it resembles the hull of a ship. Photo ©Michel Denancé

Salvator-John A. Liotta: The project exploited advanceddigital modelling techniques which enabled you to adapt thedesign parametrically to the context.

Thorsten Sahlmann: We adopted parametric modellingsoftware to achieve three key results: firstly, to manage thecomplex distribution of the aluminium tesserae on the façade forthe desired surface continuity; secondly, to control hole size anddensity on each panel, with the smallest holes facing south,where they are also more densely distributed, for better sunlightscreening and to attain different environmental performances;thirdly, the use of parametric software during the tesseraemanufacturing process, all different and in a wide array ofshapes, favoured an excellent dialogue with the manufacturer.

shapes, favoured an excellent dialogue with the manufacturer.This practice demonstrates that uniqueness, specificity anddifferentiation are financially manageable and feasible.

Thanks to the dual skin in glass and aluminium, the top two floors – housing the office spaces and a meeting room – have maximum benefit from thenatural light. Photo © Michel Denancé

Renzo Piano’s design for the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé is hugely imaginative. A sophisticated take on a certaintype of transparency and an elegant synthesis of form generatedby great sensitivity for the context, it is technologically advancedand rebalances the mineral and vegetable density of its location.It opens to the public on 10 September 2014.

© all rights reserved

 

Fondation Jerôme Seydoux-Pathé, ParisRenzo Piano Building Workshop, architectsDesign team: B. Plattner and T. Sahlmann (partner and associatein charge) with G. Bianchi (partner), A. Pachiaudi, S. Becchi, T.Kamp; S. Moreau, E. Ntourlias, O. Aubert, C. Colson, Y. KyrkosConsultants: VP Green (structure); Arnold Walz (model 3D);Sletec (cost consultant); Inex (MEP); Tribu (sustanability); Peutz(acoustics); Cosil (light); Leo Berellini Architecte (interiors)

Total building area: 2,200 sqm

RPBW: Fondation Jerôme Seydoux-Pathé, Paris, 1st floor. © RPBW

 

Total building area: 2,200 sqmSite area: 839 sqmHeight: 25 m Floors: 5

AuthorSalvator-John A. Liotta

PhotographyMichel Denancé

SectionsArchitecture, Interviews

KeywordsFondation Jerôme Seydoux-Pathé, Renzo PianoBuilding Workshop, RPBW, Thorsten Sahlmann

LocationParigi

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Martin Kyuranov · SofiaA very nice Work!Mi piace · Rispondi · 25 luglio 2014 10:28

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