Paris is renowned for the beautiful Haussmannian architecture, featuring numerous medieval streets, tenement buildings and more. However, this does not mean that other architecture types are not featured in France’s capital.
The only really popular area in Paris that has strong medieval roots is Le Merais. In other parts of the city, you can see so much modern architecture that you will be stunned by. Due to this, you should definitely be aware of the following top modern architecture in the beautiful Paris.
Le Centre Pompidou
Le Centre Pompidou is an art museum. It was designed for a design competition by Richard Rogers and Renzo Piano. The goal was to use functional structural elements like pipes and electrical wires placed on the outside. This made it possible for the inside to completely be used for the sole purpose of displaying art.
Fondation Louis Vuitton
Franck Gehry designed the building for the Fondation Louis Vuitton in the year 2014. It is located close to Bois de Boulogne and is made out of concrete, with a beautiful glass roof. At first glance, the building looks like many different things, like a ship or a cloud.
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In reality, the building has the goal to outshine Palazzo Grassi, which is the Venise Fondation Pinault. Basically, the competition between Bernard Arnault and Francois Pinault when it comes to luxury led to the design of this architectural masterpiece in Paris.
French Communist Party Headquarters
Espace Niemeyer is another name for the Le Siege du Parti communiste francais, which means the headquarters of the French Communist Party. The name of the structure comes from Oscar Niemeyer, the Brazilian architect that signed the building, which was finished in 1971, with its Dome being over in 1980.
In the year 2007, the building became an official historical monument so it is considered to be a nationally protected heritage site.
Parc Andre-Citroen
This park is the work of 3 architects. They are Jean-Paul Viguier, Jean-Francois Jodry, and Patrick Berger. Two landscape artists (Allain Provost and Gilles Clement) also helped.
Parc Andre-Citroen opened its doors in 1986 and now stands out as a great place to see beautiful fountains and mesmerizing vegetation. As numerous parks in the city are crowded, this is not the case here. That is why many see it as a hidden gem that tourists should not really learn about.
Cite de la Mode et du Design
Jacob + Macfarlane is listed as being responsible for the erection of this huge building, which happened in 2008. The goal was to bring contemporary style and flair to an industrial site.
Ever since 2013, the Museum of Playful Arts had its headquarters here, together with nightclubs, restaurants and the school of the French Fashion Institute. If you want to see a perfect view of the Seine River, it is available here from an elevated terrace.
Hotel Barriere Le Fouquet’s Paris
Hotel Barriere Le Fouquet needed to be renovated and Edouard Francois became responsible for this in 2006. His ideas led to recreating the common Haussmannian façade but with the use of grey concrete. That is why this building presents an architecture that is a mix of contemporary and historical design. If you want to admire the masterpiece, try to do it from the rooftop since that is the best vantage point.
Pyramide du Louvre
Out of all the architectural masterpieces of modern Paris, this is definitely the most famous one. It was designed by I. M. Pei, a Chinese- American architect and was inaugurated in the year 1989. What you see is made out of glass and metal and was actually commissioned by Francois Mitterrand, then the French president.
Another interesting thing about the pyramid is that locals hated it when they first saw it. As time passed, this changed and the building is seen as a symbol of Paris.
The Louvre’s Islamic Arts Wing
The Louvre is one of the most known museums in the entire world so it should be pretty obvious that there has to be something special there in terms of architecture. While the pyramid we mentioned above is very known, not many might be aware of the huge department that is dedicated to the Islamic Arts, which is located in cour Visconti.
Exhibition spaces are present under a window that has a wavy form. It is made out of 1600 glass triangles. Mario Bellini and Rudy Ricciotti designed it in the year 2012.
La Defense Neighborhood
Last but certainly not least, La Defense is practically the city’s Central Business District. Due to this, it is made out of many buildings that can only be described as modern architecture landmarks.
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If in the area, make sure that you visit Tour First and the Grande Arche, which is practically the modern version of the well-known Arc de Triomphe.
