Eco Factor: Old museum to be revived as an eco center for art and music lovers.
Formally a factory, then a contemporary art museum and now an eco complex, the former Renault factory on Île Seguin, Paris has seen grand transformation and is yet to see a lot more. After serving as a hubbub of industrial action from 1920 to 1992, the structure was replaced a stunning museum by billionaire collector Francois Pinault. Now the site is up for a regenerative masterplan, which will be see the light of the day in the guidance of urban architect-coordinator Jean Nouvel. The 300,000sqm complex will be transformed into a flourishing natural habitat, with masses of natural light illuminating loosely manicured parks and gardens.
For the project, Nouvel has collaborated with landscape artist Michel Desvigne and light artist Yann Kersale. The remarkable structure on the island will feature an innovative cinema complex produced by Europalace Pathé, a planned higher institute for digital arts, the digital Bouglione circus, a residence hall for artists, a hotel, grand central glasshouse garden, strings of meeting places, shops offering cultural and recreational goods and high-profile corporations operating in the cultural and media-related sectors.
The complex will also include a variety of structures for artists, gallery owners, collectors, craft workers. In addition, exhibit halls spanning 20,000 sq m and a large-scale musical complex sponsored by the Hauts-de-Seine General Council will also bring in many art and music lovers from around the world. The River Seine centre in Île Seguin has the potential to become a small town right in the centre of the city of Paris. The construction work is expected to begin in 2012 and the eco center will proudly stand under the bright sun by 2023.
