Moving Solar Panel Wall at Music Complex
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La Seine Musicale, near Paris, by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban, incorporates an ovoid auditorium and a wall of solar panels that shift to trace the path of the Sun. The music complex on Ile Seguin between Boulogne-Billancourt and Sèvres local
Moving Solar Panel Wall at Music Complex
La Seine Musicale, near Paris, by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Shigeru Ban, incorporates an ovoid auditorium and a wall of solar panels that shift to trace the path of the Sun. The music complex on Ile Seguin between Boulogne-Billancourt and Sèvres localities in the western suburbs of Paris features a huge multipurpose venue and a smaller auditorium. A worldwide competition was held in 2013 to find the right designer for La Seine Musicale, following which Shigeru Ban Architects collaborated with local architect Jean de Gastines.The Grand Seine multipurpose hall at the center of the building can seat 6000 and is designed to host concerts, musicals, ballets, and other events. The smaller performance venue is meant for 1,150 people and houses Insula Orchestra. It is aimed at classical concerts that do not need amplification. The wooden grid-shell it is located inside is a common feature in Ban’s designs around timber-framed buildings. Among these are an office complex in Zurich sporting an exposed timber structure and an art museum in Aspen with an intricate wooden roof structure, notes Dezeen magazine.The egg-shaped structure is shielded from harsh sunlight by a nautical surface enveloped in photovoltaic cells. This triangular surface has been fitted on rails that enable it to follow the path of the Sun, enhancing its efficiency and providing cover to the lobby behind it all day long. A central stage area with seating around it creates a congenial environment in the interiors of the auditorium. Acoustic panels fashioned from wood along with paper tubes hang from the ceiling to heighten the concert effect. Le Seine Musicale is spread out over a third of the island at its western tip. In accordance with Nouvel’s original scheme for Ile Seguin, a concrete wall stretches around the boundary of the edifice, reminiscent of the erstwhile factory’s industrial aesthetics.Click on the slideshow for a sneak peek at the structure. Read more
