Paris: The Latest Architecture and News

Following an international competition, Polish American architect Daniel Libeskind's firm, Studio Libeskind, in collaboration with La Compagnie de Phalsbourg, has been selected to design the flagship building for the Léon Blum district, adjacent to the future Line 15 station of the Grand Paris Express. The competition featured eight teams, including Snøhetta, Valode et Pistre, Stefano Boeri, Sou Fujimoto, and Jean-Paul Viguier. The winning project is a mixed-use building of over 20,000m², featuring a green wall and incorporating bio-sourced materials. The project is part of a broader urban development strategy for Issy-les-Moulineaux, an extra-wall area of Paris currently undergoing significant transformation.

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced a significant renovation plan for the Louvre, following concerns from the museum's director about the building's deteriorating condition. The project includes the creation of a new grand entrance and broader refurbishments across the historic site.

The renovation comes after a letter from Louvre director Laurence des Cars to the French Cultural Ministry highlighted serious maintenance issues affecting both visitors and staff. According to the letter, first published in Le Parisien, conditions inside the museum have become increasingly difficult, with visitors lacking space to rest, insufficient food and restroom facilities, and outdated signage in need of a complete redesign. The letter also pointed to climate control issues, describing a greenhouse effect inside the 36-year-old glass Pyramid designed by I.M. Pei, as well as hazardous temperature fluctuations and leaks in other parts of the building.

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Ahead of the official reopening of Notre Dame de Paris, scheduled for December 8, a series of exhibitions are happening worldwide, aiming to use immersive technologies and augmented reality to bring to a wider audience both the restoration efforts and the wider story of the beloved monument. The event aims to present significant chapters of the history of the iconic structure, from its medieval origins to its witnessing of historical events such as the coronation of Napoleon or the marriage of Henri IV, the 19th-century restoration which added the spire designed by French architect Viollet-le-Duc, and the devastating 2019 fire.

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