Architectures

In 1598, King Abbas planned an immense urban project. His royal Mosque captured the unprecedented wealth of an art of living, the king’s power, and the talent of architect Ali Akbar Esfahani.

The Menier factory at Noisiel, outside Paris, was the largest chocolate factory in the world between 1870 and 1914. Throughout its three successive states, it tells the story of a veritable laboratory of industrial architecture in the second half of the 19th century.

The Djoser pyramid, the work of legendary architect Imhotep, is the oldest in Egypt, and bears witness to the first steps of architecture as a scholarly pursuit, as opposed to simple construction. It was a revolution in three thousand years BC, born out of a desire to perpetuate tradition.

How and why did this minimalist structure end up embodying 20th century modernity ? Between rigour and free form, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe’s first masterpiece is a poetic work of spatial flow and intervals.

The SAS Royal Hotel tower marked Denmark’s entry into post-war modernity. It is a major work that combines functionalism, simplicity and elegance, and in which everything, from the ashtrays to the building’s volumes, were created and designed by Arne Jacobsen.

Roissy 1 embodied the aspirations of modern architecture. It was built during the initial era of mass travel, a pre-crisis era that revered progress and dreams of high speed and that witnessed the first appearances of airport architecture. People would come to Roissy 1 to admire, no longer the planes, but the architecture. Paul Andreu was the main player in this revolution. He was 29 years old at the time. It was his first construction and the very beginning of a long series of about fifty platforms throughout the world that were to make him into one of the greatest 20th century airport architects.

Although its posterity has now rendered its image commonplace, the Maisons Laffitte château revolutionised French architecture. It is the masterpiece of the brilliant architect, François Mansart.

The elliptical shaped Philharmonie, with its filter of white columns and colourful cliffs, houses the Grand Auditorium in the manner of a jewel in its display case. It is one of the most beautiful buildings by architect Christian de Portzamparc.