ARCHITECTURE + AIRBORNE European Travels: PARIS, FRANCE

While this wasn't our first trip to France, it was our first to Paris. It happened to fall on Valentine's Day weekend so the timing worked out well. Friends of ours had also decided to head to Paris this same weekend so we decided to find a place together and explore the city.

We arrived on February 13th and stayed until the 16th, but between our flight schedule and transportation we only had 2.5 days to see everything that we could. It was a difficult task because there is so much to do/see and the city is extremely large. We bought the museum pass, which I think was completely worth it, and started on our way.

The Louvre

We only had a limited amount of time and so I did not want to spend to long meandering through the many museums that Paris has to offer. The pass was great because it let you enter, see what you wanted to see, and then leave without feeling like you are waisting money [or waiting in line for nothing as it lets you skip the line at many sights].

The main target of our trip to the Louvre, besides looking at the building and the glass pyramid [designed by I.M. Pei] was to see the Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo Da Vinci. It was first thing in the morning so the museum was not too crowded yet, but that painting had already attracted a crowd. Apparently there has been a lot of vandalism to the painting such as acid, rocks, paint, etc. being thrown at it. So many vandalism attempts that it is now protected by bulletproof glass.

Villa Savoye

I was having flashbacks to studio and my architecture history classes while walking around this building. Villa Savoye, located in Poissy, is 'one of the most significant contributions to modern architecture in the 20th century.'[1] It was designed by the famous Le Corbusier and completed in 1929. It was to be a modern rendition of a French country house and has become one of the most important architectural precedents. Villa Savoyes design is based on Le Corbusiers 'The Five Points of Architecture' : Pilotis [slender columns], flat roof terrace, open plan, ribbon windows, and free facade [free of structural members].

'Villa Savoye is a house designed based on the architectural promenade. Its experience is in the movement through the spaces. It is not until one becomes familiar with the subtle peculiarities that the movement and proportionality of the spaces evokes a sense of monumentality within the Parisian suburb' [2]

Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower was beautiful and there are views of it from every corner of the city. Paris hosted the 1889 World's Fair [it was the 100 year anniversary of the French Revolution]. A competition was sent out and the commission was given to Eiffel et Compagnie. Architect Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel gets the credit for the design but a structural engineer named Maurice Koechlin actually came up with the concept for the Eiffel Tower. They had also collaborated on the Statue of Liberty's metal armature.

Fun Fact: The pillars at the base are oriented with the four points of the compass

It took two years to assemble the framework and it stood to be 10000 feet high [at the time it was the tallest structure in the world]. The antenna was added in 1957 which increased the height by 65 more feet. While millions visited the structure, Parisians were leery of its structural soundness and/or considered it an eyesore.

'The novelist Guy de Maupassant, for example, allegedly hated the tower so much that he often ate lunch in the restaurant at its base, the only vantage point from which he could completely avoid glimpsing its looming silhouette.' [1]

It was set to be torn down in 1909 but it was saved to be used as a radiotelegraph station. During WWI the tower intercepted enemy radio communications. During WWII Hitler ordered the demolition of the Tower, but the order was never carried out.

The tower is repainted every 7 years and has around 7 million visitors per year

Group photo!

Replica of the Statue of Liberty

Champ De Mars

Arc de Triomphe

Julia and Louis!

Centre Georges Pompidou - Modern Art Museum/Bibliotheque publique d'information

A competition was held to construct a cultural center in Paris as well as be a monumental aspect of the city. Some of the most famous architects in France submitted their designs, but Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, both of whom were not famous at the time, won the competition. The design, built in 1977, is considered one of the most famous and radical buildings of our time. It exemplifies constructivism and high tech modern design. Both movement and the exposure of the infrastructure, mechanical and structural systems, are key components of the concept.

The different systems are painted differently to differentiate between their roles:
white - structure and large ventilation components
silver grey - the stairs and elevator structure
blue - ventilation
green - the plumbing and fire control piping
yellow/orange - the electrical
red - the elevator motor rooms and shafts or the elements that allow for movement throughout the building.

Fang Lijun: oil on canvas, 400×852cm

Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe is located at the center of the Place de Gaulle and was built between 1806 and 1836. There is an underground passage to get to the center of the rotary, which we discovered only after playing frogger both ways across.

The arch was built to honor those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. There is also a Memorial Flame for the Unknown Soldier, which burns at the base. It is 49.5 meters [162 feet] tall, 45 meters wide, and 22 meters deep.

There are stairs to the top where one can look out over the city. We had a great view of the Eiffel Tower and the many streets leading up to the rotary. We were also lucky enough to spot a double rainbow after the rain!