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01.
HOWTO
BUILD
AFASHIONCLOUD
this funny-looking
buildingmight resembleanelongated replicaof
theSydneyOperaHouse, or agiganticglassarmadillo, but in fact it’s
home to theFondationLouisVuitton, acultural centre 13yearsand€110m
in themaking. TheCloud, as it’sknown, finallyopenedat theendofOctober
asapermanenthome for apretty impressiveart collection.CompanyCEO
BernardArnault,whocommissionedFrankGehry todesign it after visiting
theGuggenheimgallery inBilbao, hasdescribed it as “aspace thatprovides
intellectualswithaplatform fordebateand reflection”. Andwith those
reflectivesurfaces, it’salsoaperfect excuse todon that fashionstaple–
oversizedsunglassses.
fondationlouisvuitton.fr
6.FILL ITWITHSTARS
Site restaurant LeFrank isheaded
byMichelin-starredchef Jean-Louis
Nomicos,whileanexhibitionon
Gehryandhis team’sarchitectural
effortswill rununtil July.
4.THINKABOUTSTRUCTURE
Thecloud’sskeleton isbuiltof
15,000 tonsof steel– twice the
amountused for theEiffel Tower
–andcurvingbeamsmadeof
larch. The facing ismade from
19,000panelsofDuctal (high-
performance, fibre-reinforced
concretemade fromsand, cement,
organicfibresandwater),which
make it lookabrightwhite.
5.DRESS ITWELL
Surrounding thebuilding, the
Jardind’Acclimatation isa 19th
centurygarden in thenorthern
partof Paris’sBoisdeBoulogne
park. Alongside thebuilding’s
construction, it’sbeen thesubject
of a landscapingproject thathas
redesignedanumberofwalks,
while replenishing theareawitha
rangeof newplant varieties.
FASHION HOUSE
