Architectures

In 2006, the company VITRA asked the "Herzog & de Meuron" agency to create a building for its "HOME" collection. The showroom consists of a pile of 12 houses slotted together to produce surprising spaces.

In Spain, the dead are not buried but stacked in niches. The Igualada Cemetery is a surprising project, and a strong example of the merging of 20th century architecture and landscape.

"Queen of the citadels" was the model for military constructions all over France. Built between 1668 and 1671, its exacting and simple design has made it a source of inspiration for major contemporary architects.

Breaking away from the 19th century neoclassical trend, Henri Labrouste erected a powerful public building, in which stone featured alongside a material that was used prominently and was glorified for the first time – iron. A major milestone on the path to modern architecture.

In an country ruined by World War 1, Auguste Perret took up the challenge of building a church. In concrete. It was a shunned material, used hitherto exclusively in industrial constructions. This “Holy Chapel of Concrete” revolutionised architectural vocabulary.

With this building, Dominique Perrault continues a concept that is dear to him: the absence of architecture. The urban dimension and the way the surrounding land is organised prevail over the construction. The landscape supplants the architecture.