Arab World Institute

The Arab World Institute enlivens the district by absorbing the two opposing urban morphologies of historical continuity and the discontinuity of contemporary urban planning. The building is composed of two volumes, respectively focusing on the activities of the museum and the library. Following the curvature of the St. Bernard quay in the north, the museum building is facing the centre of Paris, standing out like a showcase of artefacts revealed to the city through an all-glass façade. To the south, the library building aligns seamlessly with the volumes of the neighbouring built masses, freeing up a large orthogonal space converted into a square. The famous façade that dominates the promenade is a contemporary high-tech interpretation of the traditional mashrabiyya latticework. Aluminium panels in arabesque geometric patterns outfitted with optical diaphragms and activated by photoelectric cells open up gently, controlled by the amount of external light. This optical composite screen covers the entire height of the building like a glass and steel chequerboard pattern of fine latticework reminiscent of mashrabiyya aesthetics. The accessible rooftop offers a unique panoramic view of the city and the river. The architecture of the building combines openness and inner privacy, rigorous formal analysis and diversity of façades. Whether indoors or outdoors, it creates an interplay of light effects of materials against the monochrome of greys.