France – Distant Dwellings

Lots to Love in Lille

September 29, 2015March 24, 2017 Jackie Craven 0 Comment France Rem Koolhaas, Theaters, Urban Design

Centre Commercial Euralille, Lille, France

Before winning the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2000, architect Rem Koolhaas and his OMA architecture firm gave a blighted section of Lille new life with a dazzling plan for urban development around the Euralille railway.

Lille, France sits at the hub of three great cities: London (80 minutes away), Paris (60 minutes away), and Brussels (35 minutes). The master plan created a dazzling entertainment and residential complex centered around the Koolhaas-designed Grand Palais, also known as Congrexpo.

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The Colorful Quai Branly

June 18, 2015March 24, 2017 Jackie Craven 0 Comment France Art Tours, Modern Buildings, Museums

In 2006, architect Jean Nouvel used color to dramatize the diverse collection housed in the Quai Branly Museum in Paris, France. He also played architectural tricks with glass walls, shifting ceiling heights, spiral staircases, and concealed lights.

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See History Mirrored at Versailles

August 31, 2014March 26, 2017 Jackie Craven 0 Comment France Castle Tours

A trip to Paris is not complete without a day at the Palace of Versailles, just 20 minutes from the City via the RER C local train line.

The lavish Hall of Mirrors shown here defined the French Baroque style with large curved forms, twisted columns, and trompe l’oeil paintings. But, perhaps even more fascinating than its architecture is the complicated history that took place within the gilded walls.

See:
The Power of Place – Architecture, War, and Memory – Americans at Versailles Palace

Photo: La Grande Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors), Chateau de Versailles. Image by Myrabella (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons