Twisting Frank Gehry tower housing contemporary art centre takes shape in Arles
– Maja Hoffmann
New construction images have been revealed showing a typically sculptural Frank Gehry-designed tower rising in Arles, southern France.
The twisting, mountain-like building will be the new home of LUMA Arles, an experimental contemporary art centre where artists, researchers, and creators collaborate on multidisciplinary exhibitions and projects. Facilities will include studios, workshops, galleries, a café and restaurant, and a large glass atrium open to the general public.
When complete, the tower will climb 56m (183.7ft) above Victor Hugo Avenue. Constructed using stainless steel and clad with 300 metal panels across a 5,000sq m crystalline facade, it will resemble the irregular rock clusters found around Arles.
The project broke ground in April 2014 and is likely to be completed in 2019, when the building could be launched alongside the new National School of Photography. It will form part of a wider cultural complex based in the Parc des Ateliers – a sixteen-acre plot that was once home to railroad workshops constructed in the 1800s. Five industrial buildings are being restored by Selldorf Architects and will host artists residencies, a hotel and a restaurant. The entire site will sit within a public park designed by landscape architect Bas Smet.
LUMA Arles is being funded by Swiss contemporary art collector Maja Hoffmann and her LUMA Foundation. It will reportedly cost around €100M (US$117.8, £92.1m) in total.
“Our wish is to integrate this cultural complex and its programme into the artistic, intellectual, ecological, social and economic fabric of Arles and the surrounding region,” Hoffmann has previously said. “This is why we are, step by step, creating an environment that promotes meetings and interactions between artists, thinkers and the public, for the benefit of all.
“This also allows us to look at the bigger issues cities face all over the world and to foster a sense of individual and collective responsibility in addressing them.”
Frank Gehry LUMA Arles art architecture France design Maja HoffmannGehry, Piano, Foster and Levete among star-studded shortlist for landmark City of London concert hall
Philadelphia Museum of Art kickstarts major Frank Gehry expansion and revamp
Frank Gehry and billionaire businessman Bernard Arnault collaborate for new Paris museum
Frank Gehry completes intimate 360 degree concert hall in Berlin
Want to learn architecture from Frank Gehry? Design icon launches US$90 online course
Frank Gehry's mixed-use Sunset Strip scheme approved by city planners
French artist Daniel Buren adds vibrant colour to glass sails at Gehry's Fondation Louis Vuitton
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Aman sister brand Janu launching in Tokyo in 2024 with design by Denniston's Jean-Michel Gathy
The Peninsula London unveils Peter Marino-designed spa inspired by London’s famous parks
First glimpses revealed of Mandarin Oriental, Mayfair's subterranean spa retreat
"Architecture is alive" says Ma Yansong, as Shenzhen art museum opens exhibition showcasing work of MAD Architects
SHA Mexico to debut in January 2024 with genome-inspired design by Sordo Madaleno
Bionic leaves, breathable metals and selfgrowing bricks... Biomimicry in architecture has come a long way. Christopher DeWolf takes a look at the latest advances