Koolhaas in Paris: The Machine behind the Machine

Established in 2013, the Lafayette Anticipations cultural foundation has had to wait until now to move into its own space. The remodelling and refurbishment took three years. This only serves to enhance the clients’ and visitors’ pleasure at the opening of the latest jewel in Paris’ Marais district on 10 March.

The concept of putting an exhibition space with adjustable platform heights in the yard of the U-shaped 19^th-century building corresponds exactly to the foundation’s wishes. It is not only completed objects from the spheres of art, design and fashion that will be displayed here, for the curators want to make the creative process accessible to the general public as well.

This is why the lower level is home to a space for art production. The ground floor is next to the entrance to a restaurant; the exhibitions are arranged in a U-shaped plan around the yard. Something special: the exhibition tower features display spaces that can be extended by 100 m² as needed when the platforms are docked at exactly the same height as the floor. This tower stands inside the large U. When all the platforms are lowered and lie precisely on the ground-floor plate, the space transforms itself into a five-storey atrium with a glass roof.