Shigeru Ban Wins "Cité Musicale" Competition

Shigeru Ban Architects is the winner of an international design competition for Seguin Island in Boulogne-Billancourt, France. The island, located in the Seine southwest of central Paris, was the site of Renault's manufacturing plant from the 1930s until 2005, when the buildings were demolished to make way for a complex of cultural uses master planned by Jean Nouvel. Previously the island was the site of the Pinault Foundation Contemporary Art Museum, for which Tadao Ando won a competition in 2001 but was never realized.

As described by Shigeru Ban's office, "In June 2010 a new private finance initiative to develop the island via a public-private partnership was announced. The Cité Musicale is one part of that initiative, envisioned as a monumental structure that will serve as the symbolic western gate to Paris." The 36,500 square meter (393,000 square feet) project consists of multipurpose concert hall (4500/6000 seats), classical music hall (1150 seats), rehearsal and recording rooms, facilities for the Paris Opera Ballet Music School, a restaurant and shop, housing for orchestra members. and a park. Completion is planned for mid-2016.