By: Gzng Sedeeq
Right from the 2001 international
competition for a natural history museum in Lyon, the museum was envisioned as a
"medium for the transfer of knowledge" and not as a showroom for
products.
The building ground of the museum is
located on a peninsula that was artificially extended 100 years ago and
situated in the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers. Even though it was apparent
that this site would be a difficult one (536 piles had to be securely driven 30
meters into the ground), it was clear that this location would be very important
for the urban design. The building should serve as a distinctive beacon and
entrance for the visitors approaching from the South, as well as a starting
point for urban development.
In order to build a museum of
knowledge, a complex new form had to be developed as an iconic gateway. A
building that truly stands out can only come into being through shapes
resulting from new geometries. It was important to the concept that the flow of
visitors arriving from the city to the Pointe
du Confluent should not be impeded by a building. The idea was therefore to
develop an openly traversable building that would be floating in part only on supports,
in order to create a public space underneath.
Essentially, the building consists
of three parts. Situated on a slightly raised base (due to the high
groundwater), two auditoriums (for 327 and 122 persons, respectively) and work
spaces, which will also be used for training purposes for the surrounding
schools, will be located next to storage and workshops for the production of
exhibitions.
The entrance building, the so-called
Crystal, is openly traversable, and a vertical access to the exhibition spaces.
The so-called Espace liant, a
connecting path, can be reached by an escalator, a staircase, and a spiral ramp.
Left and right of this path are arranged the individual exhibition halls (one
of them two-level), and at the end is a view of the confluence of two rivers,
the Pointe du Confluent. The steel
structure, conceived as a bridge construction, made it possible to develop all
of the exhibition halls without supports. The administration rooms are located above
the exhibition spaces.
In the Plaza below this highly
raised, almost flying component – the showrooms are broadly cantilevered in
parts – the lit wave pattern of the surface of a small lake is reflected on the
underside of the building. A brasserie emphasizes the public nature of this
place. A freely accessible terrace café is located on the top floor.
In the entrance building, a drop-shaped
construction serves as supporting structure. Its form was developed out of the
turbulent flow created by the confluence of the two streams. This gravity well
reduces the weight of the entire steel structure of the entrance building by a third.
Project data
SITE AREA: 20,975 m²
GROSS FLOOR AREA: 46,476 m²
NET FLOOR AREA: 26,700 m²
FOOTPRINT: 9,300 m²
CONSTRUCTION
COSTS: € 3,980 / m² / total € 185 Mio
VOLUMES (V) total
195,206 m³
Base (incl.
Brasserie) 59,436 m³
Crystal / Foyer 25,770
m³
Cloud /
Exhibition space 110,000 m³
DIMENSIONS
Length: 190
m
Width: 90
m
Height: 41
m
BASE
2
auditoriums with 327 and 122 seats
working
rooms for classes, conference and meeting rooms,
storage,
workshops, HVACR, logistics, group entrance
brasserie
on top (publicly accessible)
CRYSTAL / FOYER
Main
entrance, foyer, librairie / shop
CLOUD / EXHIBITION SPACE
9
Exhibition rooms
Level 1:
temporary exhibitions (5 rooms) + public ateliers for workshops
Level 2:
permanent collections (4 rooms) + public
ateliers for workshops
Level 3:
administration
Roof top café
(publicly accessible)
TIMELINE
Competition: 2001
Preliminary
design / Design development: 2002-2004
1. Tender
/ Dialog Competitive: 2004-2006
Construction
phase 1 (pile foundation): 2006-2007
Stop of
construction: 2007-2009
2. Tender
/ Execution design: 2009-2010
Construction
phase 2: 2010-2014
Completion: 12/2014
Technical Description
Environmental
concept
The foyer (Crystal) is a naturally ventilated space. The supply air enters via glazed ventilation flaps inside
the east facade while the exhaust air exits via the roof area. It is therefore
unnecessary to use a traditional air conditioning system. Only the main access
areas and workspaces are microclimatic units whose comfort is ensured through
local heating and cooling systems. The floors are cooled via ground water. This
will result in significant energy savings for the museum’s foyer in the long
term.
In terms of thermal insulation, the
facades of the exhibition area (Cloud) are characterized by an extremely
efficient building shell. All of the main access areas are illuminated
naturally (not much artificial light); the water supply of the sanitation areas
is provided through the ground water. A photovoltaic system is installed on the
roof.
Materials
Base:
The base is designed as a reinforced concrete
structure with exposed concrete walls.
Foyer /
“Crystal”:
A tubular lattice with a rectangular
profile of 400 x 200 mm forms the primary support of the Crystal. It rests on
the concrete structures of the base and the main supporting structure of the
Cloud. The center of the Crystal is occupied by the Puits de gravité, which
continues the primary support and plays the role of a major support element
that diverts all forces. It reduces the weight of the entry building’s
entire steel construction by a third.
The secondary support structure carries
the large glass panels. It consists of steel tubing arranged in the grid of the
glass panels. It is connected to the primary support structure via struts made
of tubes that are screwed to panels welded to the primary supports.
Blinds between the primary and secondary
supporting structure protect the most sun-exposed areas and also reduce noise.
The glass consists of single-glazed panels
with extra-clear glass.
A large amount of glazed, openable windows
in the different areas of the Crystal provide natural ventilation. They can be
opened through a motor. Additional deeper and higher openings can provide smoke
extraction in case of fire. The four different entry sequences consist of large
glass doors. The main entrance has a large canopy that is connected to the
primary support structure and clad with metal sheets, like the Cloud.
Exhibition area
/ “Cloud”:
The Cloud’s structural system resembles a
bridge structure. It rests on 12 concrete supports and three concrete towers
that contain the emergency stairs and shafts. Room-high steel frameworks form
the walls of the black boxes for permanent and temporary exhibitions.
The outer skin of the Cloud consists of
3-mm stainless steel plates that have been blasted with glass beads. This
special surface treatment results in a gentle reflection of the light and
colors of the surrounding area.
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