Architecture: The Grand Palais Éphémère
Image Copyright: Patrick Tourneboeuf.
Le Grand Palais Éphémère. Champs de mars, Paris. 14/06/2021. Wilmotte & Associés Architectes.
Writing and Photo Editing by Ari Adams
Beginning this week, the Grand Palais Éphémère will be hosting Paris Photo, the largest international photography art fair of its kind. Located in the heart of Paris on the South end of the Champ de Mars, the Grand Palais Éphémère overlooks the Eiffel Tower—a long-time symbol of the city—while, in its own right, setting a standard in temporary event space planning and environmentally responsible architecture.
Digital rendering of The Grand Palais Éphémère by Wilmotte & Associés Architectes
Designed by architect and city planner Jean-Michel Wilmotte, the Grand Palais Éphémère functions as a temporary event space to accommodate the events that ordinarily take place in the Grand Palais, a historic Parisian exhibition hall which is undergoing renovations for the 2024 Olympic Games. Boasting 10,000 square meters of event space, the Grand Palais Éphémère stands twenty meters tall and is constructed around forty-four wooden arches which were assembled on-site in the span of three months.
Image Copyrights: Patrick Tourneboeuf for Wilmotte & Associés Architectes
With the completion of the Grand Palais Éphémère in 2021, the building distinguishes itself in the field of environmentally-friendly temporary-architecture. Constructed using a timber frame sourced from sustainably managed forests, the wood acts as a sponge and will absorb an estimated 1,956 tonnes of CO2 by its deconstruction date in 2024. Not only will the wood have a carbon-negative impact on its surroundings, but the building was designed with a modular focus, which will allow for the timber frame to be reused in future architectural projects once the Grand Palais Éphémère is deconstructed. Enclosing the timber arches is a double-skinned textile that has substantial thermal and ventilation insulation properties which allow for a reduced level of energy consumption within the building compared to the textile’s more commonly used counter parts. Opting to use non-petroleum based materials, the outer façade of the Grand Palais Éphémère implements a transparent, fully recyclable, mineral-based polymer which uses ninety percent less energy to manufacture compared to glass while retaining the same visual properties as the latter.
Image Copyright: Patrick Tourneboeuf.
Le Grand Palais Éphémère. Champs de mars, Paris. 28/04/2021. Wilmotte & Associés Architectes
Acting as one of the mainstay event spaces of Paris, the Grand Palais Éphémère has hosted and will continue to host important events in arts, culture, and sporting until its deconstruction in 2024. Serving as one of many venues that will host events in the 2024 Olympic Games, the Grand Palais Éphémère will host the Judo, Wrestling, Para-Judo and Wheelchair Rugby competitions for the international games. From giving a new home to the Paris Photo arts fair to providing staging grounds for the Saut Hermés equestrian jumping competition, the Grand Palais Éphémère proves to be highly versatile in its capabilities as not only an event space but as a home for the types of events that have maintained Parisian lifestyles and values as one of the most recognizable and exported cultures throughout the world. In spite of the building’s intended short lifespan, the cultural value of the Grand Palais Éphémère—alongside its ecologically innovative design—cement the structure as a true work of 21st century architecture.
Digital rendering of The Grand Palais Éphémère by Wilmotte & Associés Architectes.
