wolf d. prix explains his design of lyon's musée des confluences

wolf d. prix explains his design of lyon’s musée des confluences
image © sergio pirrone

one year after lyon’s musée des confluences opened to the public, creative agency spirit of space has documented the building through two new videos. in the first of the two short films, wolf d. prix — co-founder and design principal of coop himmelb(l)au — speaks candidly about the building’s design, and responds vehemently to criticism concerning the project’s cost.

‘we always want to conquer space, since we are not in a space without gravity,’ states prix. ‘so spirals, bridges, and ramps are our architectural language. the word ‘confluence’ — coming together, or flowing together — is not only a point of departure for the outer shape of the museum, but also a description of the content of exhibition you can see here,’ continues the acclaimed austrian architect.

speaking about the museum’s intricate configuration, prix comments: ‘if we want to have an optimistic society that has the capability to solve complex problems with complex solutions, we have to live in this complex society. meaning: if you are living in boring spaces your brain doesn’t work in a creative way. if you only think in architectural terms, only architecture will come out. we were fascinated by the spacesuit, the space helmet, by the formula 1 racing car, by the music — the tension of the riffs of keith richards is a role model for our structures sometimes.‘ explains prix.

the themes of contrast and divergence are characterized in the museum’s displays
image © sergio pirrone

standing as the centerpiece of lyon’s ongoing regeneration project, the themes of contrast and divergence are 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. see designboom’s previous coverage of the project here.

the vast scheme integrates the fields of technology, biology, and ethics
image © sergio pirrone

wolf d. prix, co-founder and design principal of coop himmelb(l)au
image © coop himmelb(l)au