DESA1002 'Continuous City' Nicholas Lay

Abstract

The city of Paris is deeply rooted in culture, from its fine cuisine to fashion shows. One such culture is French Film, and to cater to this, I have designed a French Film Library. This French Film Library aims to provide a connection between the public and the culture of French Film. The building is structured such that the higher you go, the more interested you must be in French Film. There are four levels, “Introductory” “Learning” “Knowledge” and “Discussion”, corresponding to the ground, first, second and third levels. Circulation is a major part of the building, encompassing the outer edges of the interior space. This allows the occupants to experience the views that are provided by the glass facade. They are also able to turn their attention inwards to the media panels lining the walls, which display trailers and other film related videos. As they follow the circulation paths, they trace out the path taken by old film reels being played. Like undeveloped film, the Library is vastly different before light is provided and after. During the daytime, the building is seen as a whole, no spaces highlighted or differentiated. At night, the building transforms, with artificial lighting spilling out of the open middle level, marking it as the most important. The seperate triangular section also metamorphosises, with light beaming out of only the transparent glass, the translucent sections providing ambient light.