AVS. Arkitektúr verktækni skipulag - 01.09.2003, Side 65

Chosen Projects - Dominique Perrault
Dominique Perrault was born in
Clermont-Ferrand, France in
1953. Fle finished his architectural
studies at the Ecolé des Beaux-
Arts in Paris in 1978. After further
studies in planning and history,
he started his own office in 1981.
His career took a new course in
1989 when he received 1 st prize
in an international competition for
the National Library of France.
The Library was the last but also
the most important in a series of
„grand projects" which French
President Frangois Mitterand pro-
moted. This imposing structure,
which is almost a whole district
although it is a single building,
was completed in 1995. It was
immediately noted internationally
and placed its author by the side
of Jean Nouvel as the second
most respected living architect of
France. The Library received the
European Architectural Award,
named after Mies van der Rohe,
in Barcelona in 1996 as an exam-
ple of important contribution of
modern architecture to the built
environment of Paris. (This award
was mentioned in AVS, 2, 1997.)
Two years after having won the
National Library Competition,
Perrault won another international
competition for a cycle ring, inter-
national swimming pool and a
diving hall in Berlin. Photographs
and drawings of these projects
will at the Reykjavík show.
If something is outstanding in the
architecture of Perrault, it is his
idea about the relationship
between a building and its sur-
rounding landscape. Fle looks
upon site and landscape as his
building material rather than
glass, concrete and steel.
According to Perrault, the design
of a building is rather the alter-
ation of the existing landscape
rather than constructing a build-
ing in the traditional sense. In his
mind, it is a more interesting idea
to create places rather than to
build buildings. Perrault often
approaches his architectural
design like a concept-artist and
his work is clearly under the influ-
ence of environmental art (land-
art). It is therefore no co-inci-
dence that many of his best-
known buildings are dug into the
ground and form a whole with the
land.
Although the work of Perrault in
this way is more reminiscent of
landscape than buildings, he is
very interested in the city. Fle
does, however, not refuse to
work according to given pre-
scripts of the city founded on
romantic longing for the past. It is
typical that his office in Paris is in
a very unusual place in a new
building which he himself
designed, L'Hötel Industriel
Berlier. It is situated in a no man’s
land on an island between two
lanes of the speedway enclosing
the city centre. The accommoda-
tion looks over the south-eastern
part of the city; cars are speeding
past at all hours and the office is
surrounded by old factory sites
which are in the process of being
planned as sites for new build-
ings. This raw environment on the
outskirts of the historic city has
some magical creative force and
after having seen it, one is con-
vinced that a more fitting site for
an avant-garde architectural
office is difficult to find. Close by,
on the bank of the Signe the
National Library by Perrault
stands, the latest addition to the
large monuments of Paris. ■
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