Laces of Architecture

Finesse of detail, shadows and light, mystery and beauty, coupled with a precision of gesture in production. The fragments of stone filigree adorning gothic cathedrals and Moor palaces have marked the history of architecture.

Today dynamised by the use of nanotechnologies, computer software and high-performance materials, architecture is reintroducing various forms of screens or netting which evoke the designs of lace and stone filigree.

Notable examples include: the steel lace to filter light which drapes the new John Lewis department store in Leicester (Foreign Office Architects, UK, 2008), the wooden weave covering the future Poland pavilion for the Shanghai Universal Exhibition in 2010 (WWA Architects, Warsaw, Poland, project under construction), or the thin waving concrete skin for the Jean Bouin stadium in Paris (Rudy Ricciotti, delivery 2012).

Going beyond the banality of the "left as is" principle, fine-worked materials are taking over from unworked materials, giving new forms of nobility to the question of ornamentation in architecture. A remarkable return to the idea of beauty, which is after all, the cornerstone and heartbeat of the art of building.

This exhibition is produced by the Maison de l’architecture et de la ville
Curator : Odile Werner and Sophie Trelcat
Redaction : Sophie Trelcat & Martine Fosse
Scenography and graphism : Les produits de l’épicerie
Translation : Tony Coates

Free Entrance

The MAV main role is to ensure the diffusion and the promotion of the contemporary architecture and town planning by organizing a great number of cultural events. The activities of the MAV aim at the presentation of the professions and the works of architecture and the city, through the topics, wich are directly interesting for a large population : the habitat, public space and the urban landscapes.