Arab World Institute is a curious, architectural fusion of traditional Middle East and contemporary Europe.
Architects: Jean Nouvel, Architecture-Studio, Pierre Soria and Gilbert Lezenes
Location: Paris, France
Project Year: 1987
Type: Cultural
Institut du Monde Arabe, or IMA, was created through the collaboration between France and 18 Arab countries, to research and promote the culture of the Arab world.
The foundation and the building it currently resides in contribute to the cultural, political, economic and social collaboration and understanding between the Arab world and Europe for the last 30 years.
The commission for the design of the IMA was given to Architecture-Studio and Jean Nouvel, as the winners of the competition announced for this project in 1981. The winning design responds to its unique context in both plan and elevation.
Consisting of a museum, a library, an auditorium, a restaurant, offices and meeting rooms, the institute aims to communicate and display the extensive contributions of the Arab world in terms of technology, art, knowledge and aesthetics.
A Curiosity at the Banks of the Seine
Located along the Seine River in the area known as the Latin quarter of Paris, the Arab World Institute is an architectural curiosity. As a result of its impressive location, the building offers stunning views of the Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Seine River, and the Saint-Louis Island from its rooftop.
The site that the building currently sits on also has a historical significance: it is where the Saint-Bernard gate, the Saint-Victor Abbey and the Paris wine market once stood.
The Mechanics of Light
The northern façade, which follows the curve of the Seine River, consists of a glazed curtain wall divided up by an aluminium frame. The effect is a nod to the historic city, mimicking old brick structures with a contemporary twist.
The southwest façade, facing the large public square that acts as a buffer between IMA and the Pierre and Marie Curie University, shows off perhaps the most memorable and impressive element of the structure: a façade exhibiting a mosaic of delicate, industrial-looking, steel planes punctured with geometric motifs.
The intricate grid is actually a reference to the mashrabiya; an archetypal element in Islamic architecture that allows privacy, efficient ventilation and control of light in households.
However, the building incorporates this traditional detail in a more technical manner.
Because, upon closer look, it can be seen that the IMA’s mashrabiya is made up of various sized mechanical apertures. These apertures, connected to a central system, automatically adjust the size of their openings according to the time of day, and the amount of light and heat that stream into the building. The “smart” façade as a whole consists of 240 photosensitive, motor-controlled shutters set up to perform up to 18 adjustments a day.
Middle-Eastern architectural elements are also present inside the building. The interiors are in light tones. A forest of columns lead the visitors trough the building, which are reminiscent of Iraqi ziggurats, Arabian palaces and the minarets commonly seen in mosques.
The Fusion of Traditional and Contemporary
Named the winner of the Aga Khan Award for Architectural Excellence in 1989, The Arab World Institute is a perfect manifestation of what it aims to reflect: an understanding of a vast, complex history in the light of Western advancements.
It is for this reason that the building plays with light, with voids, and with geometry.
Elements commonly seen in Islamic architecture, like the mashrabiya, or the use geometric design, are fused with technology and modernism.
The result is a unique, calm, deeply resonating sense of space with a touch of exoticism, like a playful breeze drifting in from a warm, faraway land.
Don’t miss it the next time you find yourself in the City of Lights.
For more information:
The integration of technology in architectural design is on the rise: The Rise of the Machines: Smart Homes
Official webpage of Institut du Monde Arabe (External link)