Jean Nouvel’s Philharmonie de Paris Opens In The City Of Light

After years of construction—and not a little controversy—Paris welcomes another architectural marvel: the Philharmonie de Paris, a shimmering metallic structure conceived by Pritzker Prize winner Jean Nouvel, located in Parc de la Villette in the 19th arrondissement.

Central to the architect’s plan was creating an intimacy of sound and space. Acoustic experts from New Zealand and Japan assisted Nouvel in his unique design, which includes floating balconies and suspended cloud-shaped sound reflectors, among other features. Along with sound, Nouvel paid particular attention to audience's visual experience: The distance between the conductor and the farthest spectator is a mere 105 feet (compared with 157 feet at the city’s smaller Pleyel theater). Anticipating grand performances to come, Nouvel installed retractable seating, which can adapt to expand the theater’s capacity from 2,400 to 3,650.

In his own words, Nouvel explained the reasoning behind his innovative design: “The hall suspends the spectators in space, on long balconies, creat[ing] the impression of being immersed in music and light.”

The process hasn’t been without its share of controversy, however. During design and construction, there was public debate about the cost of the building. And today, the official opening, Nouvel announced that he would not be attending the inaugural performance, releasing a statement declaring the building “unfinished” and the acoustics “untested.” The architect also responded to criticism of the project’s final price tag, nearly three times the initial budget, arguing that the overrun came from “initial underestimated costs.”

But as always in Paris: The show must go on.