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Architectural photographer Iwan Baan captured the tower and its interiors, designed by architect Frank Gehry as the centerpiece of the cultural district of Luma Arles.
Baan’s photos show the distinctive tower towering above the surrounding buildings on the recently opened Luma Arles Arts Campus in the city of Arles, France.
Clad in 11,000 irregularly arranged stainless steel panels, the 56-meter-high tower was designed to be a landmark for the 27-acre cultural campus, which was commissioned by Swiss collector Maja Hoffmann, founder of the Luma Foundation.
In addition to being a landmark for the site and a watchtower, the building contains exhibition galleries, archives, a library, offices, seminar rooms and a café.
According to the architect, the tower was inspired by paintings by Vincent Van Gogh, while the glass drum from which it comes out is reminiscent of the nearby Roman amphitheater, which can be seen in Baan’s photographs.
“We wanted to evoke the local, from Van Gogh’s starry night to the burgeoning rock clusters you find in the area,” Gehry said.
“Its central drum echoes the plan of the Roman amphitheater.”
As with many of Gehry’s previous buildings, including the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles and the New York by Gehry skyscraper, the tower is clad in stainless steel.
However, in an exclusive interview with Dezeen Gehry said the project was unique rather than part of an evolution of his architectural approach.
“I try not to repeat myself,” Gehry said. “I think about it just as I do it, the people I work with, like Maja, the community.”
“So I don’t think about it,” he added. “I mean, naturally there’s like that historic lineage, but that’s just how I feel right now in this place.”
Baan’s photos also reveal the interior of the Arts Tower, where a large hall is crossed by numerous curving staircases.
On the ground floor, this space is surrounded by several galleries and a café.
Above, on the first and second floors, are more galleries and studio spaces, as well as a library and members’ area.
The building is topped by an observation platform.
The Tower was built as part of the redevelopment of an old marshalling yard left vacant in 1986.
With a series of industrial buildings that have been renovated by New York-based Selldorf Architects, the site is now Luma Arles.
The winner of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, Gehry, is one of the world’s greatest architects. Projects recently completed by the architect include the renovation and expansion of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Louis Vuitton Maison Seoul, and Facebook’s California campus.
He also recently designed a gold bottle to mark Hennessy XO’s 150th birthday.
The photograph is by Iwan Baan.
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