AD CORE DEVISE DESIGN BLOG Vol.147
The Olympic Games in Paris, France, have finally begun. Due to the impact of COVID-19, they will be held three years after the Tokyo Olympics. This will be the first time the Olympics have been held in Paris in 100 years, since 1924. In the spring of 2024, a monumental year, I visited Paris, where preparations for the Olympics are underway, as part of an interior inspection. While previous Olympics have seen new stadiums and arenas built in preparation for the Games, this time the operation plan is to make use of existing facilities as much as possible. With the opening of the Olympics just a few months away, I was able to inspect the interiors of Paris, where construction work is underway everywhere.
During my tour of Paris' interiors, I visited the Louvre, the Musee d'Orsay, and the Sainte-Chapelle, renowned for its most beautiful stained-glass architecture in the world. I also visited the Louis Vuitton Museum, which is rarely open to the public due to limited seating and reservations, and Le Corbusier's La Roche-Jeanneret House. The Louis Vuitton Museum, designed by F.O. Gehry and opened in 2014, is well known for the Disney Concert Hall, where Gehry's catalog was shot in LA. Compared to the Disney Concert Hall's metallic stainless steel exterior, the Louis Vuitton Museum exudes a more generous, natural aesthetic. Perhaps the combination of different materials—glass, concrete, steel, and wood—creates a soft atmosphere. Separate from the other staff members who traveled from the city center, I headed to the museum through the Bois de Boulogne. The building, which appears to have emerged from the forest, resembled a gigantic sailing ship. Inside the building, the construction techniques were explained in detail using models and videos, and the building is covered with 3.600 glass units, each 1.5m x 3m, all curved into a different shape. I was amazed at the precision and effort that went into it.
Another place we visited was the Le Corbusier-designed "Hôtel La Roche-Jeanneret," a World Heritage Site nestled in a quiet residential area east of the Bois de Boulogne. Designed in 1925, this building is said to be the first to incorporate Le Corbusier's five principles of modern architecture. We made a reservation to be among the first to enter at opening time, and entered the museum as soon as it opened, along with four staff members, through a quiet, deserted entrance at a dead end. Inside, the spacious entrance hall, with its open ceiling extending up to the fourth floor, offers a continuous flow of perspectives and spaces from each floor. Unlike the spatial structure of "rooms" separated by walls, the interior space, connected by ramps and corridors, feels very three-dimensional. The gentle yet vibrant interior colors, divided into individual areas, combined with the gentle light, allowed us to enjoy a moment of richness as we wandered back and forth, wandering around in circles.
Unfortunately, it rained on the 25th at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, but the production, which made full use of Paris's famous landmarks, was fantastic. These Olympics will use some of the world's most popular tourist attractions as venues for not only the opening ceremony but also various other events. Skateboarding and 3x3 basketball will be held at the Place de la Concorde, judo and beach volleyball will be held in the Civic Park below the Eiffel Tower, and equestrian and modern pentathlon will be held at the Palace of Versailles. Tennis, which I have my eye on, will be held at Roland Garros, a red clay court in the vast Bois de Boulogne. This court is normally only used for the annual Grand Slam. It's a traditional court that has seen countless famous matches, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what kind of games we'll see at this year's Olympics. (Developer: Takeda Nobuo)
