AN EXEMPLARY ARCHITECTURAL PROJECT ON AN EMBLEMATIC SITE
Following a closely supervised international call for projects for the design, construction and technical maintenance of the Temporary Grand Palais, the Rmn - Grand Palais and Paris 2024 selected the project by GL events (concession holder) and the architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte (project manager) in September 2019.
The Temporary Grand Palais will be constructed on the Champ-de-Mars continuing the centuries-old tradition of this iconic place which is very closely linked to the history of the Universal Exhibitions, just like the Grand Palais. The urban and aesthetic integration of the structure was a major challenge and the architectural object had to be in keeping with the prestigious nature of the site. The architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte fulfilled the expectations of the Rmn Grand Palais and Paris 2024 by designing an exemplary project in phase with the aspirations of our time in terms of its simplicity and environmental creden- tials. It had to take up three main challenges: integrate perfectly into the site, meet environmental standards and be an open-ended and versatile structure.
In line with the established axis of the Champ-de-Mars, the temporary building will be located on the Plateau Joffre, without closing it off: at 20 metres tall, a height essential to its use, it still allows the École Militaire to dominate 16 metres above. The arched structure of the Temporary Grand Palais is in dialogue with the arches at the base of the Eiffel Tower.
The Temporary Grand Palais is essentially built around a European spruce-wood framework structure. It was designed and pre-assembled by the Mathis family business located in Alsace. The profile of the structur- al arches working in compression helps to minimise the mass of wood used. The resulting geometry of these arches offers a useful covered volume through a reduced roof area. The double skin that encloses the framework has significant acoustic, thermal and ventilating properties, thereby using less energy.
The re-use of the building following its time on the Champ-de-Mars at the end of the four-year use on site is an important sustainable commitment that goes be- yond the optimisation of a new construction; the pro- ject is designed as a quantity of modular elements that could reappear in multiple new forms in other places.
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