Flexible museum lighting for the Bourse de Commerce – Pinault Collection, Paris

Strategically located between the Louvre and the Centre Georges Pompidou, the impressive circular building of the Bourse de Commerce has been welcoming visitors in the form of the Pinault Collection since the spring of 2021. Constructed in the 18th century as a ring-shaped grain hall, it was enhanced with a fenestrated dome a few decades later and subsequently served as the commercial exchange of Paris. Monumental murals from 1889 depicting the global trading activities of the colonial power France vault the centre of the listed domed building as an impressive 360-degree panorama. French entrepreneur and patron François Pinault, who took over the building from the city of Paris on a hereditary lease for 50 years, has now had the rotunda upgraded to befit the needs of a listed building. Under the aegis of Japanese architect Tadao Ando and with the help of local firm NEM Niney et Marca Architects, the Bourse de Commerce has been transformed into a temple for the highly qualitative contemporary art from Pinault's private collection.

The doyen of architecture Ando realised a gigantic exposed concrete cylinder with a diameter of 30 metres below the central glass dome. The nine metre-high inlay is designed as a temporary structure within the historic shell and can thus be disassembled after expiry of the lease period. The element creates a quiet space within the existing building for contemplative experiences of art and separates this from the surrounding access routes and entrances to the individual exhibition spaces. Stairs lead to the galleries on the upper floors along the outer skin of the concrete cylinder. A total of seven galleries form a fascinating spatial structure: no two are alike in layout, some have relatively low room heights and others have double-height. The daylight situation in the interiors is also diverse: some spaces receive high levels of light via large-format windows in the facade whilst others have very little or no natural light.