PAVILION
Between the two rivers, Rhone and Saône, the renovation of the docks is starting a new story: the bank for arts. New programs dedicated to the culture, to relax and to walk keeping the link and the imaginary with the industrial history of the site.
Except the recon version of the ancient building the new one, the pavilion, takes in account the aerial steel structures.
Suspended on a huge three dimensional to structure on three big steel columns, the volume of the pavilion is organised in two superimposed parallelepiped volume, not totally perpendicular. The vertical atrium is senographying the internal movements through the whole building. Seen from underneath when passing by along the river, under the huge canopy of the top volume its basement is lighted through a glass floor. In doing that, the inside is taking part of the outside and the vertical dimension of the inside building is connected with the horizontal promenade of the riverbank.
The glass facades are the result of a collaboration with the artist, Felice Varini. He has inserted in the laminated glass four points of views to the city taken from the top of the building. These black and white photos play an ambiguous game between opacity, representation and transparency.
The belvedere
In approaching many harbours tall architectural elements such as cranes or lighthouse give us a signal. The particular situation of the river peninsula, between Rhone and Saône, is a strategic place for city development observation. We have proposed to the city a belvedere. Designed as a balloon on the top of a steel structure, it will create a special place for events, a lounge bar and a panoramic restaurant opened to the city and the landscaped mountains beyond. The city has decided to build it.
