coop himmelb(l)au completes musée des confluences in lyon

coop himmelb(l)au completes musée des confluences in lyon
image © duccio malagamba / courtesy of coop himmelb(l)au

four years after construction began, coop himmelb(l)au‘s ‘musée des confluences‘ is now complete, standing as the centerpiece of lyon’s ongoing regeneration project. located at the junction of two of the region’s main rivers, the themes of contrast and divergence are further characterized in the museum’s architecture, fusing together separate entities to form a new dynamic structure. the vast scheme, which integrates the fields of technology, biology and ethics, serves as both a museum and an urban leisure space, forming an active and lively place of public congregation.

the museum is located at the junction of two of the region’s main rivers
image © duccio malagamba / courtesy of coop himmelb(l)au

the design features three primary components, ‘the plinth’, ‘the crystal’ and ‘the cloud’. situated beneath the main entrance of the museum, ‘the plinth’ houses auditoriums, meeting rooms and technical areas. above, the fully glazed ‘crystal’ is oriented towards the town, welcoming visitors and serving as an inviting public space. within this area, large panes of glass are mounted within steel frames, flooding internal space with daylight. contrasting the precise contours of ‘the crystal’, ‘the cloud’ has been constructed to resemble a spaceship stationed above the building.

the ‘musée des confluences’ viewed from the riverbank
image © quentin lafont / courtesy of musée des confluences

programmed across three levels, three permanent and seven temporary exhibition galleries are connected with a fluid circulation route. the configuration of the exhibition halls further establishes the themes of variance and complexity, with enclosed black boxes alternating with open gallery areas. externally, ramps and pathways link the structure with an adjacent park, forming an integrated public square.

see designboom’s coverage of ‘musée des confluences’ in its construction phase here.

the design features three primary components that have been fused together
image © blaise adilon / courtesy of musée des confluences

externally, ramps and pathways link the structure with an adjacent park
image © quentin lafont / courtesy of musée des confluences

internally, the configuration of the exhibition halls further establishes the themes of variance and complexity
images © quentin lafont / courtesy of musée des confluences

the design fuses together separate entities to form a new dynamic structure
image © duccio malagamba / courtesy of coop himmelb(l)au

the structure’s distinctive forms are visible from across the french city
image © duccio malagamba / courtesy of coop himmelb(l)au

the upper part of the building has been constructed to resemble a suspended spaceship
image © duccio malagamba / courtesy of coop himmelb(l)au

the underside of the building’s cladding
image © quentin lafont / courtesy of musée des confluences

the vast scheme integrates the fields of technology, biology and ethics
image © quentin lafont / courtesy of musée des confluences

project info:

gross floor area: 46,476 sqm
net floor area: 26,700 sqm
footprint: 9,300 sqm
site area: 20,975 sqm
construction costs: € 3,980 / sqm / total €185m

volumes: total 195,206 sqm
base (incl. brasserie): 59,436 sqm
crystal / foyer: 25,770 sqm
cloud / exhibition space: 110,000 sqm

dimensions
length: 190 m
width: 90 m
height: 41 m

program
base: 2 auditoriums with 327 and 122 seats; working rooms for classes, conference and meeting rooms, storage, workshops, HVACR, logistics, group entrance, and brasserie on top (publicly accessible)
crystal / foyer: main entrance, foyer, library / shop
cloud / exhibition space: 9 exhibition rooms; level 1: temporary exhibitions (5 rooms) + public ateliers for workshops; level 2: permanent collections (4 rooms) + public ateliers for workshops; level 3: administration, roof top café (publicly accessible)

timeline
competition: 2001
preliminary design / design development: 2002-2004
1. tender / dialog competitive: 2004-2006
construction phase 1 (pile foundation): 2006-2007
stop of construction: 2007-2009
2. tender / execution design: 2009-2010
construction phase 2: 2010-2014
completed: december, 2014

project team:

client: département du rhône, lyon, france, represented by serl, lyon, france
planning: coop himmelb(l)au wolf d. prix & partner zt gmbh
design principal/CEO: wolf d. prix
project partner: markus prossnigg
design architect: tom wiscombe
project architects: mona bayr, angus schoenberger
project coordination: thomas margaretha, peter grell

project team vienna: christopher beccone, guy bébié, lorenz bürgi, wolfgang fiel, kai hellat, robert haranza, alex jackson, georg kolmayr, daniel kerbler, lucas kulnig, andreas mieling, marianna milioni, daniel moral, jutta schädler, andrea schöning, mario schwary, markus schwarz, oliver tessmann, dionicio valdez, philipp vogt, markus wings, christoph ziegler
project team lyon: patrick lhomme, francois texier, philippe folliasson, etienne champenois, alexandru gheorghe, niels hiller, emanuele iacono, pierre-yves six

local architects: patriarche & co, chambéry/lyon, france (planning); tabula rasa, lyon, france (execution); chabanne & partenaires, lyon, france (project management)
construction survey lyon: jean pierre debray
costs: mazet & associés, paris, france; CUBIC, jean luc minjard, lyon, france
structural engineering: b+g ingenieure, bollinger und grohmann gmbh, frankfurt, germany (design), coyne et bellier, lyon, france (execution); vs_a, lille, france (execution)
HVAC: itee-fluides, arnas, france
security fire consultation: cabinet casso & cie, paris, france
acoustics: cabinet lamoureux, paris, france
media consultation: cabinet labeyrie, paris, france
lighting consultation: har hollands, eindhoven, netherlands
landscape design: EGIS aménagement, lyon, france