AMERICAN CENTER
Paris, France

Photo courtesy FOGA

The lower levels of the building accommodate the most public functions of the Center. Multi-purpose performance, rehearsal and exhibition spaces, a bookstore, a restaurant, and a 400-seat theater are organized along the edges of the site, taking advantage of easy accessibility from Rue Bercy. Uniting these functions internally and serving as the heart of the Center is a great hall that opens to the park for special occasions. Also linked to the great hall is a raised gallery area that provides over 200 square meters of flexible space for special exhibitions.

The more exclusive functions of the Center are expressed on the upper levels of the building as two distinct forms. To the West, an L-shaped tower is crowned by duplex apartments that take advantage of wonderful views of the Parisian skyline. To the East, an articulated block form houses the fly-gallery of the theater, as well as a language school, administrative offices, and studio spaces for visual art and dance classes. Animating the top level of the block form are 600 square meters of flexible exhibition space with 5.5 meter high ceilings that are punctuated by monumental skylights. This exhibition area opens onto a sculpture terrace overlooking the park and the Parisian skyline.

The design of this facility successfully addresses the purpose of the building as a gathering place for intellectual, educational and artistic activities. Through the selection of limestone and zinc as the major exterior materials, and the studied manipulation of formal massing, the facility demonstrates a creative and energetic response to the historical traditions of Parisian architecture, and the complex conditions of the immediate urban environment.