Often we have to step outside our comfort zone and experience the world over. The musings of Frank Gehry led Humphrey Mumita and students from University of Nairobi’s Department of Architecture to take a deeper exploration of the ‘Foundation Louis Vuitton’ in Paris. Through Humphrey’s detailed account, Our new series ArchDiaries curated by Peninah Mutonga takes us for a walk in the mind of Frank Gehry;
From Humphrey’s Diary: The mention of Frank Gehry elicits both wonder and exciting energy. How does he do it? Where does he get inspiration from and how do his buildings actually work? I often wondered about this in my school days. Fast forward two years, and it was time to put my theory aside and walk through what I consider a genius mind.
Approximately five kilometers from the heart of Paris, France stands a behemoth of a building that literally looks like a ship in a harbor. The newly opened Foundation Louis Vuitton (FLV) which is built on one of the City’s parks prompts the inquisitiveness of anyone donning a fashion mind. Would it look like a dress, a satin–look wall cladding or that fluffy llama wool facade? A quick ‘Google search’ and eight hours of flight only arose more curiosity.
We landed in one of Paris’ major airports on a Thursday evening ready to discover the ‘city of light’ or ‘city of love’ as some refer to it. After two days of other essential visits, it was time to experience the Foundation Louis Vuitton. The approach of the FLV building seemed like a gateway into cruise ship docked in the middle of a city park.
On entering the building, I could not help but gaze at the sharp contrast between the haphazard exterior façade and the expressly ordered interior. The ‘order in chaos’ was my first pickings of Gehry’s mind. The link between the exterior and interior is ordered in various attributes. In the circulation spaces such as the fire escapes, there are structural elements that support the massive glass elements- an intriguing connection that is nothing less of a genius. The structural elements transfer the weights of the large expanses of glass while still delivering sufficient usable spaces. How this it is attained is best experienced first-hand.
Every detail is well crafted. First, he relates the building with its context- unlike some of the strange architecture that seems to have fallen from the sky. Most building designs, at least where I come from, just don’t belong to their environment. For Gehry, he chooses the ‘ship concept’ – a powerful symbol of a vessel that dates back to the history of the City of Paris. The curving glass facades depict the sails of this ship.
The intriguing level of detail and material exploration is another pick of the architect’s mind. Specialized concrete panels function as the cladding material giving the facade a character similar to a ship’s superstructure. The magnificent glass facades are made of 3,600 unique pieces sourced from Venice, Italy. Gehry adopted digital design and a construction method that incorporates a web-hosted 3D model to allow adaption of the design elements with the construction progress hence solving a significant construction constrain. Finally, the floor finish for the open spaces is concrete tiles joined together in an interlocking manner to allow efficient draining and collection of rainwater for reuse.
The ‘Lightness’ of the design informed my third pick, a common attribute in several of his other buildings. Internal spaces at FLV, including a restaurant, galleries, book stores, multipurpose spaces, and event venues, are immaculate with the internal lighting well-articulated at all levels. The glass facades open to panoramic views of the gardens and the park, enhancing the transition from ground level to the roof level. Internal courtyards allow for scenic views of the iconic Eiffel tower as well as La Défense, Paris central business district.
As I left the FLV, I was convinced of my admiration for Frank Gehry, despite having experienced his other designs. Only exceptional architects achieve timeless buildings, and with this intensified inspiration, I can only dream of borrowing a leaf from this genius mind.
