Wow, Paris. One week was just not long enough. Stanley kept us walking all day and there just never seemed to be enough time! If anything struck me as interesting in Paris it was that this was really a city that valued architecture. We had the opportunity to spend one entire day in the Cite de L'Architecture, an entire museum dedicated only to architecture! We stayed on the lower level sketching gothic details for several hours and I thought I had seen it all, but was I wrong! The upper level was dedicated to contemporary projects, housing many models and drawings of projects that I have studied over the past several years. The highlight for me was the full scale model of a unit of Le Corbusier's "Unite d'Habitation". It was great to actually get to walk inside and up the stairs. It is so fascinating to study, but in real life it actually was somewhat uncomfortable to be in due to the length of the unit. Regardless this was such a refreshing approach for a museum and I loved every minute we were in there!
Another highlight was getting to go to the firm, Architecture Studio. Here we got to meet and speak to some of the architects employed by Architecture Studio, and got a private lecture about their firm, philosophy and some past work. We even were given some time to explore their "archives" and view their old working drawings and models. Their work was incredible and they are certainly a firm to keep your eye on!
I could talk for hours about the Institut du Monde Arabe, the National History Museum, Arc De Triomphe, the Louvre, Notre Dame, Opera House etc., etc. I hope my pictures will do justice to what my words simply cannot. So I will leave it at this, Paris was simply amazing and I pray I will be back again someday.
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