by Ateliers Jean Nouvel / Paris, Francia

Presentation of the Philharmonie de Paris

The project of the Philharmonie de Paris be­gan in 2006 with a shared willingness from the French government and the City of Paris to introduce a new model of musical creation and transmission. The building itself is the work of Jean Nouvel, winner of the interna­tional competition organised in March 2007. Its architecture fits perfectly into the setting within the Parc de la Villette, welcoming both walkers and families. It also conveniently fits into the East of Paris, currently undergoing major transformations, at the heart of the future large metropolis known as ‘Grand Paris’, thanks to the installation of many companies’ head offices and the Campus Condorcet which is under construction. The Philharmonie combines spaces of all kinds. They welcome educational services aimed at practising collaborative activities for all, recreational activities ranging from the exhibition space to the restaurant and bar, not excluding the professional needs with no less than 5 ultramodern rehearsal rooms also open to the public. At the core of this set of spaces is the sym­phonic hall with its capacity of 2,400 seats, promising to be exceptional in its design, ergonomics and acoustic qualities. All this will form a unified complex with the current Cité de la musique, designed by Christian de Portzampac which includes 2 auditoriums of 900 and 250 seats, a museum of music and a media library.

A building open to everyone

A mineral building with impressive dimen­sions, the Philharmonie de Paris’s design is innovative. Its shiny aluminium swirls that encompass the concert hall contrast with the angular, matte overall shell. The build­ing is designed as an extension of the Parc de la Villette. Walkers, strollers and families are invited to freely wander below, above and through the complex. At the same level as the park is a vast, elegant promenade that surrounds the building. The building thus of­fers multiple facades and entrances. It faces all directions. Visitors are invited to stroll on the roof of the Philharmonie: a belvedere of­fering a unique panorama of the park, turn­ing the Philharmonie into a meeting place for different populations and the flagship project of the future Greater Paris.

The birds

The Philharmonie de Paris’s covering is com­posed of 340,000 birds, divided into seven different shapes and four shades ranging from light grey to black. More than 200,000 birds in aluminium sheeting are installed on the facades’ to symbolize a grand take-off. To adorn the Philharmonie’s esplanade, the ramp and part of the main concert hall’s acoustic roofing, the ground pavement birds are designed in cast aluminium assembled on a pre-cut granite structure. Some of the pavement birds have been moulded in con­crete.

The main concert hall, a new typology

A true architectural feat: an encompassing room that combines the audience’s immer­sion in space and music, and unique inti­macy for listeners. The Philharmonie’s main concert hall invents a new model of its own: an adjustable concert hall based on the con­cept of envelopment. The hall is a combina­tion of two spaces that fit into each other, an interior floating room that hosts the audi­ence, creating visual and acoustic intimacy between the audience and the musicians, and an outer space with its own acoustic and architectural presence. An innovation that is simultaneously architectural, scenographic and acoustic. The architect Jean Nouvel and the hall’s main acoustic consultant, Sir Harold Marshall, designed this hall in col­laborative sessions focused on combining architecture, acoustics and scenography. The distance between the conductor and the farthest spectator is only 32 meters.The hall’s organic shapes and the warmth of the wood create an ambiance conducive to tak­ing in music. One listens better in a state of well-being; such is the “psycho-acoustic” postulate of the Philharmonie. This is why certain materi­als are more present than others, even if they do not necessarily contribute to the qual­ity of sound. Assisted by Métra et Associés (partners in the concert hall project), Jean Nouvel, along with Marshall Day Acoustics and Ducks Scéno, developed an audacious system of balconies based on cantilevers and clouds. The 283 m. stage featuring motorized platforms can accommodate any orchestral ensemble, even the most imposing. The hall is also equipped with a Rieger organ, 15 metres high and 20 metres wide, specially designed for the symphonic repertoire. The “enveloping” layout of the auditorium inspired an encircling series of foyers, which serve as the passageway from everyday life to the time of the concert. With large windows looking out onto the Parc de la Villette and beyond, the foyers are still con­nected to city life, yet their atmosphere calls one to be immersed in another world. The acoustic programme (prepared by Kahle Acoustics) required an acoustic response that combines high sound clarity and ample reverberation. It also required an approach that favours lateral reflection and great in­timacy – and in a new type of venue. The solution found is a daring system of floating balconies that create an intimate space and an exterior volume that prolongs the rever­beration. This new model combines lateral reflections, direct sound and reverberation, resulting in high clarity and transparency, as well as warm resonance. The cloud-shaped reflectors, the back walls of the balconies and the parterre walls all contribute to this lateral reflection “envelope”. No surface was left to chance. With an active acoustic volume of 30,500 cubic metres, the auditorium literally immerses the audience in sound. In the symphonic configuration, the audience surrounds the orchestra. An­other innovative feature is that the seats in the parterre can be removed to leave stand­ing room for contemporary music concerts, increasing capacity from 2,400 to 3,650 people. Lastly, particular care was taken to ensure the audience’s comfort: the distance between seat rows is at least 90 cm, and all seats are 52 to 55 cm wide. The Philhar­monie de Paris has adopted the Haute Qual­ité Environnementale (high environmental quality) approach, with its NF standard cer­tification that is awarded for best practices in environmental performance and requires the fulfilment of very demanding criteria fo­cused in particular on four priority areas.

Energy

With a gross heated volume of approximately 200,000 m3 and a thermal envelope surface of 28,000 m2, the building is very compact and therefore highly energyefficient. For its heating, the Philharmonie is connected to the urban heating distribution system of the City of Paris. In return, it has installed a water cooling facility in its basement for air condi­tioning, and the surplus is sent back to the City’s system. Air conditioning is limited to premises where it is required. On the build­ing’s shell, 1,000 m. of photovoltaic cells have been installed.

Acoustic comfort

Obviously, this criterion was the subject of considerable attention. The materials com­ply with the NF P-01-010 (environmental quality) standard.

Water management

The treatment of water focuses on reducing the consumption of water and managing the recovery of rainwater. Rainwater is reused to water gardens and greenery, for building maintenance and for public sanitation sys­tems.

Maintenance

A sustainable building, above and beyond mere technical considerations, is first and foremost a building that lasts over time, that one wants to preserve and in which it is pleasant to live and be together.