The Mobile Art Pavilion in Paris for CHANEL by Zaha Hadid Architects has been inspired by one of CHANEL’s signature creations, the quilted bag.
CHANEL is renowned for its layering of the finest textiles and exquisite detailing to create the most elegant and cohesive pieces for each collection. In her quest for complex, dynamic and fluid spaces, the work of Zaha Hadid has developed over the past thirty years through a rigorous integration of natural and human-made systems and experimentation with cutting-edge technologies.
Hadid’s architecture transforms our vision of the future with new spatial concepts and bold, visionary forms.“I think through our architecture, we can give people a glimpse of another world, and enthuse them, make them excited about ideas. Our architecture is intuitive, radical, international and dynamic. We are concerned with constructing buildings that evoke original experiences, a kind of strangeness and newness that is comparable to the experience of going to a new country. The Mobile Art Pavilion for CHANEL follows these principles of inspiration,” states Zaha Hadid.
Continuing to arouse one’s curiosity is a constant theme in the work of Zaha Hadid. The Mobile Art Pavilion for CHANEL is the very latest evolution of Hadid’s architectural language that generates a sculptural sensuality with a coherent formal logic. This new architecture flourishes via the new digital modelling tools that augment the design process with techniques of continuous fluidity.
CONCEPT:
The form of the 700 m² Chanel Pavilion is a celebration of the iconic work of Chanel, unmistakeable for its smooth layering of exquisite details that together create an elegant, cohesive whole. The resulting functional, and versatile architectural structure of the Pavilion is a series of continuous arch shaped elements, with a courtyard in its central space. Artificial light behind the translucent ceiling washes the walls to emphasize the ‘arched’ structure, and assists in the creation of a new artificial landscape for art installations. A large roof light opening dramatically floods the entrance in daylight to blur the relationship between interior and exterior. In addition to the lighting and colour effects, the spatial rhythm created by the seams of each segment gives strong perspective views throughout the interior.
The 65 m² central courtyard has large transparent openings to the sky above and is designed to host events as well as provide an area for reflection after visiting the exhibition. The courtyard serves as an intermediate space between the exhibition and public area of the Pavilion. In light of the extensive shipping between cities, the steel structure has been designed to be built in under one week, which is essential for an ephemeral pavilion. With a direct visual connection to the courtyard, the 128sqm terrace continues the dialogue between the Pavilion’s exterior and interior. During an event, the two spaces can be linked to become one large event zone.
[zaha-hadid]
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