Atelier Vincent Hecht has released a series of recent photographs that document the construction status of Frank Gehry's Luma Arles Tower in the south of France. The twisting tower opening this spring will include artist studios, workshops, seminar rooms, and research facilities.
Inspired by limestone cliffs around the city, Gehry, famous for his Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, created an irregular composition of facades. In fact, the 56 meters-high tower takes on a dynamic shape in its urban environment.
Part of the Luma Arles, an arts center established by Swiss collector Maja Hoffmann, the building comprises 11,000 aluminum panels, around a concrete and steel structure. The glass and stone cylindrical base, inspired by the city’s Heritage Roman sites, are also nearing completion.
Located on an abandoned rail yard, the project has completely transformed the area and introduced the Parc des Ateliers, a public park, designed by Belgian landscape architect Bureau Bas Smets.