Travel Notebooks: Paris, Atlanta, Kyoto

On our minds » Our love of cities and their varied historic, new and repurposed structures. From our travel notebooks, the first of a two-part Design Brief of creative inspirations from Paris, Atlanta and Kyoto.

Traveling to Paris has always been a joyful and nostalgic experience, reminding me of my formative years at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. September saw me once again in the City of Light reconnecting with old friends from my alma mater. Naturally, we found ourselves at La Fondation Louis Vuitton – Frank Gehry’s latest addition to Paris, his second in the city after Cinémathèque Française which opened its doors earlier in 1994. This trip has been a long time coming as the building in question has been perpetually ‘in-construction’. It’s taken 8 long years for La Fondation Louis Vuitton to finally open its doors in the fall of 2014.

Located deep in Bois de Boulogne park on the border of the Jardin d’Acclimatation – a 19th-century children’s park and zoo established in the era of Emperor Napoleon III; the Foundation – a striking contemporary glass and steel structure, resembles a vessel floating above the trees. This makes for a spectacularly juxtaposed contemporary building site nestled within a historic park close to the center of the city. It evokes other famous Paris monuments like the Grand Palais, Musée D’Orsay and as Mr. Gehry describes it – “had to be something that fits into a garden, something in the tradition of a 19th-century glass pavilion or conservatory”. One look at the structure and it’s not hard to imagine that Gehry envisioned a pavilion in the form of a sailing vessel with 12 curved glass voiles (veils/sails) inflated by the wind.

The entrance to the foundation leads to a tall grand hall bathed in natural light from a skylight above. From here, viewers are directed up angled staircases and meandering paths to the indoor galleries featuring contemporary art exhibitions; as well as outdoor terraces partly enclosed by the glass ‘voiles’. Unlike most buildings, the exterior and interior spaces are forever competing for the viewers’ attention. The terraces, at differing heights, afford stunning views of the city above the canopy of trees. The ‘voiles’ are really canopies composed of more than 3600 glass panels of different shape, curvature and size – no two of them are the same. Pools at the ‘bow and stern of the vessel’ reinforce the idea of a gleaming sailing ship on the water.

Being an avid runner, I have always enjoyed taking quick runs in city parks all over the world. As we walked in Bois de Boulogne park approaching the foundation, I was surprised and heartened to see several people taking in the sights of the building while enjoying their little runs. This latest striking addition to the park is what makes Paris so special and I cannot wait to return to the city to explore the sights of the city’s new architectural jewels.

Fondation Louis Vuitton
The Building: Frank Gehry

The New York Times: Art & Design
An Architect’s Big Parisian Moment

When I travel to a city for the first time I try to set aside time to explore and get a feel for the city’s architecture and urban life. In June, I had the opportunity to visit Atlanta for a friend’s wedding and made visits to Krog Street Market and Ponce City Market. I love adaptive reuse projects where you can see a combination of the old and new city.

Krog Street Market opened in 2014 with a west coast-style market, restaurants and apartment units in the former home of the Atlanta Stove Works factory complex. Ponce City Market is a mixed-use development with a food hall and rooftop amusement park opened in 2016 in the former home of the Sears, Roebuck and Co. retail store, warehouse and regional office. Both buildings were built in the late 1800s and went through decades of growth then decline and eventual abandonment. Now in the early 21st century both buildings are reused and given a new vibrancy.

I’ve been to several food halls and market projects in Denver, San Francisco, Portland, New York, Boston, and DC. While the interior of these spaces often has a similar feel, what I found interesting about Krog Street and Ponce City was their sites and their connection to each other and the city of Atlanta. From Krog Street Market I walked along the BeltLine trail, a 22-mile loop made up of several historical rail lines that now circle the city. It was great to see so many residents using the trail, even on a rainy day. On the trail, I walked past large art installations and parks with a wonderful view of Atlanta’s skyline. Buildings along the walk that once had their backs to the train tracks are now engaging with it. The BeltLine led me straight to Ponce City Market where I found a great spot for a second lunch!

National Trust for Historic Preservation
Ponce City Market: Atlanta’s History in the Making

ArtsATL
The Economic Advantage of Embracing Atlanta’s History

Japanese History, Culture, Art, and Design have always been a source of inspiration for me, and the country has been on the top of my list of places to visit. Last year I planned a short ten day trip to visit a few major destinations in Japan, including Kyoto, Tokyo and a day trip to Osaka. Typically, when planning a trip to a large metropolis I’ll plan my experience around seeing as many significant architectural places as possible. This trip was no exception, and with a seemingly endless selection of both modern and historical places to choose from, narrowing down what to see was a bit of a daunting task. The one thing that was certain was that I was going to see as many Tadao Ando buildings as possible on this trip. When all said and done I was able to see seven of them.

One of my outings took me to the Oyamazaki Villa Museum of Art. Originally designed for Shotaro Kaga, a major influence in introducing beer and whiskey culture to Japan, the building was conceived as a country villa with similar style to an English Tudor cottage and completed in the early 1900’s. After being relinquished by the Kaga family and being resold many times, Asahi Breweries purchased the property, restored, and reopened the building as a museum with a dramatic addition completed by Tadao Ando.

Quite off the beaten path, access to the museum is through one of the ever-reliable Japanese train lines and into a rural area South of Kyoto. Once off the train, a short 10-minute walk up the side of what seems like a small mountain, leads you to a stone gate that marks the entrance to the property. Since on foot, my approach to the museum was not up the main driveway and to the main entrance, but through the large garden on the grounds. It was early November at the time of the trip and the fall foliage was prominently displayed throughout the garden. Once in the garden, you immediately recognize the main building with its large terrace that overlooks the garden and three major rivers in the valley below. As you continue to approach the building, the Ando annex begins to reveal itself within the garden. The main annex houses Claude Monet’s ‘Water Lilies’ and is a circular gallery partially submerged in the ground to maintain harmony with the surrounding landscape. To access the Monet gallery, you enter through the main building, with its intricate wood detailing, and into the stark contrasting corridor of glass and concrete. Stepping from the main house into the addition feels like you are simply stepping from the interior of the original house to the outside, as you are surrounded by glass on all sides. But continuing towards the gallery you descend a set of stairs down to the gallery and the space starts to take shape around you. As beautiful as the Monet’s are, I couldn’t help but find myself lingering in the corridor.

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