This week, with the help of our readers, our Architecture City Guide is headed to Paris. For centuries Paris has been the laboratory where innovative architects and artists have come to test their ideas. This has created a city that has bit of everything. Where the architecture of some cities seems to undergo phases of punctuated equilibrium, Paris’s architectural fossil record gives an impression of gradualism; all the missing links are there. This makes it easy to trace the origins of the most contemporary ideas throughout history. Nothing seems to come out of nowhere. If you look around you kind find the design’s inspiration running through the city’s Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Rocco, Neo-Classical, Empire, Art Nouveau, Art Deco, Modern, Post-Modern, and Contemporary Architecture. Seen in another context, many of Paris’s buildings might seem out of place, but the bones of this city support the newest iterations on the oldest and most profound questions. The 24 contemporary designs that comprise our list probably should not be viewed outside of this context, even though that is the stated goal of some of the designs.
As the most visited city in the world and arguably the capital of culture, it is impossible to capture the essence of Paris in 24 modern/contemporary designs. Our readers supplied us with great suggestions, and we really appreciate the help and use of their photographs. The list is far from complete and we realize that many iconic buildings are not yet on the list. We will be adding to it in the near feature, so please add more in the comments section below.
The Architecture City Guide: Paris list and corresponding map after the break.
Immeuble Molitor / Le Corbusier Institut du Monde Arabe / Jean Nouvel & Architecture-Studio Foundation Cartier / Jean Nouvel Maison de Verre / Pierre Chareau with Bernard Bijvoet Cité de La Mode et du Design / Jakob + Macfarlane Parc de la Villete / Bernard Tschumi Musée du Quai Branly / Jean Nouvel Louvre Pyramid / I.M. Pei Mémorial des Martyrs de la Déportation / Georges-Henri Pingusson Centre Georges Pompidou / Renzo Piano & Richard Rogers La Grande Arche de la Défense / Johann Otto Von Spreckelsen & Paul Andreu Paroisse Notre-Dame de l’Arche d’Alliance / Architecture-Studio Villa Savoye / Le Corbusier Maison Tzara / Adolf Loos Maison du Brésil / Le Corbusier Hotel Fouquet’s Barriè / Edouard François Notre Dame de Pentecôte Church / Franck Hammoutène Le Cinémathèque Française / Gehry Partners Pavillon Suisse / Le Corbusier Maison de l’Inde / J.M. Benjamin, H.R. Laroya and Gaston Leclaire Student Residence in Paris / LAN Architecture Olivier-Métra School / aasb_agence d’architecture suzelbrout Biscornet / BP Architectures National Library of France / Dominique Perrault
