Tolerie Forezienne

At the behest of Bernard Arnault, the LVMH group called upon Frank Gehry, the great, audacious architect of the 21st century, to build the Louise Vuitton Foundation. This mammoth project, which was the result of 20 years of collaboration and exchange between Arnault and Gehry, is marked – like the Guggenheim in Bilbao or the Walt Disney Concert Hall of Los Angeles – by a visionary viewpoint, technological innovations and an ingenious and immediately recognisable design. The immaculately white glass iceberg lies within the green shelter of the bois de Boulogne, on the edge of Paris. Much ink has been spilled already on the building, which reflects Gehry’s approach of continually pushing the boundaries of architecture. Unique, creative and innovative, this iconic Gehry building thus reflects the vision of the architect, who always offers a different vision than the conventional construction of buildings.

Deliberating about the signage is an integral part of this same design process, and makes it possible to better guide the visitors from the moment they approach this endlessly-astonishing building. Agencies Zélé and Téra-création handled all of the signage for the structure, calling upon the expertise of TF to design the totems and the posts that guide the visitor in the queue, thus simplifying people flow management within the urban space. To produce a high quality, resistant, easy-to-maintain signage with an ultra-contemporary look, TF used a variety of materials, including stainless steel, rubber, Velcro, adhesive and fabric. The welds and the creation of rays, as well as the final brushing by hand, give the poles a distinctive finish. Signage remains a leitmotiv of TF, whose work on the site of the Louis Vuitton Foundation was ultimately to guide and facilitate the direction and movements of visitors in this new public space which has been very popular since its opening at the end of 2014.