Grand Louvre Modernization

Paris

The historic Louvre was constructed as a royal palace and was fundamentally ill-suited to serve as a museum.

  • Cultural
  • Master Planning
  • Mixed-use
  • Renovation & Expansion
  • Urban Districts & Public Spaces

The challenge was to modernize and expand the building and better integrate it with the city, all without compromising the integrity of the historic structure. The two-phase solution involved reorganizing the long, linear building into a compact U-shaped museum around a focal courtyard.

A centrally located glass pyramid forms the new main entrance and provides direct access to galleries in each of the museum’s three wings. The pyramid’s distinctly modern articulation complements the historic Louvre in a dialogue of harmonious contrast.

Stats

  • Site

    9 hectares, including areas within and below the existing museum

  • Components

    62,000 m2 / 667,000 ft2
    Public plaza, Hall Napoleon with underground links to museum wings, auditorium, restaurants, museum shop, boutiques, workshops

  • Client

    Establissement Public de Grand Louvre

  • PCF Services

    Master planning, architecture, exterior envelope, interior design of public spaces

Awards

  • Twenty-five Year Award
    American Institute of Architects, 2017
  • Prix d'Excellence
    l'Association des Ingénieurs, Conseils du Canada, 1989
  • Engineering Excellence Competition: First Prize, Structural — Buildings Category
    New York Association of Consulting Engineers, 1988
  • Design Award
    European Convention for Constructional Steelwork, 1989
  • Prix Special
    Le Syndicat de la Construction Métallique de France, 1988
  • Grand Award
    American Concrete Institute, Central New York Chapter, 1989
  • Le Moniteur L'Equerre d'Argent
    Prix Spécial Grands Projets Parisiens, 1989

Project Credits

  • Associate Architect, Paris

    Michel Macary

  • Architectes en Chef de Louvry

    Georges Duval, Guy Nicot

  • Pyramid Structure / Design Consultant

    Nicolet Chartrand Knoll, Ltd.

  • Pyramid Structure / Construction Phase

    Rice Francis Ritchie

  • Traffic

    Travers Associates, Clifton, NJ

  • Images

    PCF&P, Serge Hambourg, Stéphane Couturier/ARCHIPRESS, Deidi von Schaewen, Luc Boegly, Koji Horiuchi, PCF Architects, Alfred Wolf

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