musée des confluences

source: designboom

the design features three primary components, ‘the plinth’, ‘the crystal’ and ‘the cloud’. ‘the plinth’, situated beneath the main entrance of the museum, houses auditoriums, meeting rooms and technical areas. above, the fully glazed ‘crystal’ is oriented towards the town, welcoming visitors and serving as a public space.

large panes of glass are mounted within steel frames, drawing in vast quantities of natural light.
the building is an entirely public facility, functioning as both a museum and as an urban leisure space contrasting the precise contours of ‘the crystal’, ‘the cloud’ has been constructed to resemble a spaceship stationed above the building. programmed across three levels, three permanent and seven temporary exhibition galleries are connected with a fluid circulation route. the configuration of the exhibition halls further establish the themes of variance and complexity, with enclosed black boxes alternating with open gallery areas.

‘the cloud’ has been constructed to resemble a spaceship stationed above the building externally, ramps and pathways merge the structure with an adjacent park, forming a new public square. the museum references both the past and future, stimulating curiosity, and providing lyon with a significant and sustainable cultural center.
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source: coop-himmelblauat

Wolf D. Prix, born in Vienna in 1942, a co-founder, Design Principal and CEO of COOP HIMMELB(L)AU. He studied architecture at the Vienna University of Technology, the Architectural Association of London, and the Southern California Institute of Architecture in Los Angeles.

Most formative among his many international teaching positions was his tenure at the University of Applied Arts Vienna: from 1993 to 2011 he was Professor for Architecture (Studio Prix), and stepped down from his position as vice chancellor of the Institute of Architecture in 2012.
He taught as a visiting professor at the Architectural Association in London in 1984 and at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts in 1990.
From 1985 to 1995, Wolf D. Prix was active as Adjunct Professor at the SCI-Arc in Los Angeles. In 1998 he was a faculty member of Columbia University in New York.
In 1999, Wolf D. Prix was awarded the Harvey S. Perloff Professorship at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). In 2001, he served as adjunct professor at UCLA and became a Doctor Honoris Causa de la Universidad de Palermo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
In 2002, Wolf D. Prix was made Officier de l’ordre des arts et des lettres and was also awarded the gold medal for merits to the federal state of Vienna. He received in 2004 the Annie Spink Award for Excellence in Architectural Education for his commitment to teaching and training and was awarded with the Jencks Award: Visions Built prize for his major contribution to the theory and practice of architecture in 2008. A year later, Federal President Dr. Heinz Fischer bestowed the Austrian Decoration of Honor for Science and Art on Wolf D. Prix for his outstanding creative achievements. In 2011 he was honoured with the “Silberne Komturkreuz des Landes Niederösterreich” as well as the Honorary Citizenship of the City of Busan, Southkorea.

From 1995 to 1997, Wolf D. Prix was a member of the architectural committee in the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research, and the Arts.
He is a member of the Austrian Art Senate, of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts, as well as of the Advisory Committee for Building Culture. Furthermore, Wolf D. Prix belongs to the Architectural Association Austria, the Association of German Architects (BDA) in Germany, the Architectural Association Santa Clara in Cuba, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA), the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Chamber of Architects Île de France and the Architectural Association Italy.
The work of Wolf D. Prix has been published in numerous books and his architectural designs have been featured in many museums and collections worldwide. In 2006, he was the commissioner for the Austrian contribution for the 10th International Exhibition of the Venice Biennale.