:Coop Himmelb(l)au + Partner - Musée des Confluences : arcspace.com

Coop Himmelb(l)au + Partner
Musée des Confluences
Lyon, France

Image courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au

The "Musée des Confluences" is situated directly on the convergence of the river Rh™ne and the river Saone at the fringe of an industrial Area about to be restructured in Lyon.
Conceived as a "Science-Museum" it's central Topics are Technique, Biology and Ethics. Aimed at the needs of information-society it is to make perceivable current Knowledge to a broad public in a Process of constant change.

"In the same way the future Musée des Confluences in Lyon is defined through the convergence of two currents, its architecture is characterised by the merging of two entities that are given urban stature with a local, regional and supra-regional significance, thus contributing to the self esteem of the city of Lyon within the regional boundaries of France."
Coop Himmelb(l)au

Image courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au

The monumental glass structure rises, like an echo turned solid, to the pair of hills overlooking the valleys of Lyon (Colline Fourvire and Colline Croix-Rousse).
The Crystal acts as an urban anteroom receiving the visitors and getting their senses into the proper mood for the experience of the museum.
The Cloud resembles a giant space ship docking temporarily at the Here and Now and hiding the exhibition rooms in its huge dark belly.

The Crystal tunes into our daily world, its contours are clear and easy to measure, whereas the Cloud, containing a cloudy space of hidden currents and countless transitions, hints at what tomorrow might bring; predicting future knowledge that has yet to be initiated. Present and future, the familiar and the unknown, merge in this crystal cloud to become an irresistible place of discovery, it is suspended above ground and removed from immediate grasp.

Image courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au

The wide space below the building may be regarded as a spatial experiment to arouse public curiosity. As a continuation of the park to the south of the island, it forms a novel type of urban area; a landscape of ramps and slanting planes, dissolving the borderline between Inside and outside into a sequence of three-dimensional events. This interface of museum and public area covers part of the free space below the cloud as well as part of the ground-level area of the crystal.

Image courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au

On entering the huge glass hall through its main entrance on the Rh™ne side, one steps into a lobby not yet part of the museum but a kind of roofed public area. Beside the Billetterie there are public amenities such as the self-service area, the Boutique and the Librairie. The hall turns into the museum at the entrance barrier at the foot of the stairs and escalators. From there one can gain access to the cloud level and start the tour of the museum.
Below, there is the Sub-Foyer that serves both the side rooms of the Foyer and a VIP area directly connected to the garage.

Drawing courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au
Plan Interface level

The Interface can only realize its potential as "Public Incubator" if an additional entry to the exhibition rooms above is provided. In contrast to the opening of the crystal, this entry cannot be regarded as a true one in the full sense of the word, as there are neither cash desk nor access control; entries would be checked with the aid of turnstiles and chip cards.

Drawing courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au
Site Plan

Drawing courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au
Plan Exhibition Level

Drawing courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au
Section B-B

Site Area: 1.600 square meter
Floor Area: 20.600 square meter

Competition First Prize: 2001
Start of Planning: 2002
Scheduled Opening: 2006

Client: DŽpartement du Rh™ne, Lyon
Client Representative: SERL, Lyon
Coordinatior: Mazet & Associes, Paris

Architect: Wolf D. Prix, Helmut Swiczinsky + Partner
Project Partner: Tom Wiscombe
Project Coordinator: Andreas Mieling
Structural Engineering (Design): Bollinger + Grohmann, Frankfurt
Structural Engineering (Executive): Arcora, Paris/Khephren, Paris

Project Team Vienna:
Mona Bayr
Christopher Beccone
Guy Bebie
Peter Grell
Sergio Gonzalez
Kai Hellat
Georg Kolmayr
Daniel Kerbler
Sarah Michels
Marco Melasch,
Markus Prosnigg
Michael Sims Jr.
Angus Schoenberger
Andrea Schšning
Oliver Tessmann
Dionicio Valdez

Project Team L.A.:
Lars Holt
Mike Amaya
Ted Ngai

January 20, 2003

Coop Himmelb(l)au arcspace features





				Features
		Coop Himmelb(l)au + Partner Musée des Confluences Lyon, France Image courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au The "Musée des Confluences" is situated directly on the convergence of the river Rh™ne and the river Saone at the fringe of an industrial Area about to be restructured in Lyon. Conceived as a "Science-Museum" it's central Topics are Technique, Biology and Ethics. Aimed at the needs of information-society it is to make perceivable current Knowledge to a broad public in a Process of constant change. "In the same way the future Musée des Confluences in Lyon is defined through the convergence of two currents, its architecture is characterised by the merging of two entities that are given urban stature with a local, regional and supra-regional significance, thus contributing to the self esteem of the city of Lyon within the regional boundaries of France." Coop Himmelb(l)au Image courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au The monumental glass structure rises, like an echo turned solid, to the pair of hills overlooking the valleys of Lyon (Colline Fourvire and Colline Croix-Rousse). The Crystal acts as an urban anteroom receiving the visitors and getting their senses into the proper mood for the experience of the museum. The Cloud resembles a giant space ship docking temporarily at the Here and Now and hiding the exhibition rooms in its huge dark belly. The Crystal tunes into our daily world, its contours are clear and easy to measure, whereas the Cloud, containing a cloudy space of hidden currents and countless transitions, hints at what tomorrow might bring; predicting future knowledge that has yet to be initiated. Present and future, the familiar and the unknown, merge in this crystal cloud to become an irresistible place of discovery, it is suspended above ground and removed from immediate grasp. Image courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au The wide space below the building may be regarded as a spatial experiment to arouse public curiosity. As a continuation of the park to the south of the island, it forms a novel type of urban area; a landscape of ramps and slanting planes, dissolving the borderline between Inside and outside into a sequence of three-dimensional events. This interface of museum and public area covers part of the free space below the cloud as well as part of the ground-level area of the crystal. Image courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au On entering the huge glass hall through its main entrance on the Rh™ne side, one steps into a lobby not yet part of the museum but a kind of roofed public area. Beside the Billetterie there are public amenities such as the self-service area, the Boutique and the Librairie. The hall turns into the museum at the entrance barrier at the foot of the stairs and escalators. From there one can gain access to the cloud level and start the tour of the museum. Below, there is the Sub-Foyer that serves both the side rooms of the Foyer and a VIP area directly connected to the garage. Drawing courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au Plan Interface level The Interface can only realize its potential as "Public Incubator" if an additional entry to the exhibition rooms above is provided. In contrast to the opening of the crystal, this entry cannot be regarded as a true one in the full sense of the word, as there are neither cash desk nor access control; entries would be checked with the aid of turnstiles and chip cards. Drawing courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au Site Plan Drawing courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au Plan Exhibition Level Drawing courtesy Coop Himmelb(l)au Section B-B Site Area: 1.600 square meter Floor Area: 20.600 square meter Competition First Prize: 2001 Start of Planning: 2002 Scheduled Opening: 2006 Client: DŽpartement du Rh™ne, Lyon Client Representative: SERL, Lyon Coordinatior: Mazet & Associes, Paris Architect: Wolf D. Prix, Helmut Swiczinsky + Partner Project Partner: Tom Wiscombe Project Coordinator: Andreas Mieling Structural Engineering (Design): Bollinger + Grohmann, Frankfurt Structural Engineering (Executive): Arcora, Paris/Khephren, Paris Project Team Vienna: Mona Bayr Christopher Beccone Guy Bebie Peter Grell Sergio Gonzalez Kai Hellat Georg Kolmayr Daniel Kerbler Sarah Michels Marco Melasch, Markus Prosnigg Michael Sims Jr. Angus Schoenberger Andrea Schšning Oliver Tessmann Dionicio Valdez Project Team L.A.: Lars Holt Mike Amaya Ted Ngai January 20, 2003 Coop Himmelb(l)au arcspace features