Luma Arles, the tower of Frank Gehry.
The city of Arles, in France, is already finalizing what will be the architect's last construction Frank Gehry , the winner of the Pritzker Prize and author, among other architectural landmarks, of the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.** Some 15,000 square meters of tower will coexist in the creative campus of the city from June 26 of this year**, when completion is scheduled.
Tower luma-arles It is a twisted geometric structure, with a cylindrical base, about 56 meters high and clad with 11,000 stainless steel panels arranged in an irregular way. According to Frank Gehry , a Roman amphitheater inspires the base and the painting of The starry Night by Vincent van Gogh, the upper parts.
Aerial view of Luma Arles.
The artistic complex will house exhibitions, a cafeteria, art galleries, spaces for cultural projects and for research by the LUMA association, directed by Maja Hoffman.
The campus will also house seven former railways and factories, four of which have been renovated by the architecture studio Selldorf for exhibitions, as well as gardens and a public park designed by the landscape architect Bas Smets , which will be called Parc des Ateliers.
"There is a driving metaphor for LUMA at the Parc des Ateliers: that of a living organism. As such, the balance between form and function determines its viability. It is about composing a polyphonic score where everything is ordered, but where everything is possible." Where something is always happening," LUMA director Maja Hoffmann said in a statement.
The Arles project is the brainchild of Maja Hoffmann, who founded LUMA in 2004 as an international philanthropic organization. The Foundation focuses on the direct relationships between art, culture, environmental issues, human rights, education and research. For Luma Arles they have counted on €150 million.