It’s been almost fifteen years since the completion of the American Center when we began work on the Foundation Louis Vuitton (FLV) in Paris. In this context, FLV embodies the coming of age for many ideas we have been developing since our first project in the city of light.

The site of Foundation Louis Vuitton is located in a children’s park - Jardin d’Acclimitation, at the northern edge of the Bois de Boulogne on the out-skirts of Paris.

The unique site, liberated from the constraints of Paris’s historical context, yet surround by greenery, presented two major challenges: 1) The museum’s program was too big to fit within the footprint of the site on one level; a multi-level organization was required to accommodate all the spaces 2) The galleries preferred spaces with solid walls, but the beautiful natural surrounding of the site suggested a more transparent building, perhaps incorporating colorful finishes.

We began an intense design process with the client. often with workshops and presentations at their Parisian headquarters.

After exploring many design options, we arrived at a solution with the following key design principles: 1) The galleries would be configured as a series of building blocks, which would provide the solid walls for exhibition 2) The blocks are connect by the circulation elements such as stairs and escalators, that would allow visitors to enjoy the views of the park while moving from gallery to gallery 3) They would be covered by a number of glass canopies (to protect from the weather), and consequently creating additional roof terraces for sculptural installations and and public events.

Based on these organizational principles, we began to develop the exhibition spaces for the permanent collection, temporary exhibition, and artist interventions.

This sequence of models represented the layers of architectural elements: The solid blocks of galleries in the core (image on left), Surrounded by the articulation of the circulation elements reminiscent of ‘icebergs’ (image in center), Finally enclosed by a series of glass canopies reminiscent of ‘glass sails’ (image on right).

(OPTION) This sequence of models represented the layers of architectural elements: The solid blocks of galleries in the core (image on top left), Surrounded by the articulation of the circulation elements reminiscent of ‘icebergs’ (image on top right), Finally enclosed by a series of glass canopies reminiscent of ‘glass sails’ (image in bottom).

We envisioned the exterior of the museum to have the potential of incorporating video projection or dramatic lighting.

The office during the design development process was much like a workshop, with the design team working on both physical and digital models simultaneously.

Using 3D computer modeling, we began to rationalize the surfaces of the ‘iceberg’, to make it feasible with standardize panels.

In parallel, we studied the glass canopy system with standardized and repetitive glass panels.

Using the 3D computer model as the centralize database also allowed us to collaborate closely with the executive architect’s office in Paris.

And we worked directly with the potential fabricators to create prototypes and mock-ups on site.

Through this process, we were able to optimize the dimensions of the glass panels to achieve the curve geometries of the design with maximum structural strength, using standardized sheets of glass.

The structure of the "glass sails" were supported with heavy timber to better relate to the park.

FLV under construction in the spring of 2014.

Galleries under construction in the spring of 2014.

View of FLV under construction from the Eiffel Tower.

View of FLV under construction from the Jardin d’Acclimitation with the Eiffel Tower in background.

Scheduled to open in the autumn of 2014, FLV will be the final project I worked on with Mr. Gehry to be fully realized as a building, and the apogee of my experience at the office.