A sparkling new structure has recently been added to the coast of Seguin Island, Paris. Set upon the pristine shores of the Seine River, the Seine Musicale has been designed to be powered by renewable energy. The futuristic dome features an 800 square-meter shimmering photovoltaic solar sail that rotates around the structure as it follows the sun. The perpetually moving sail will generate electricity while simultaneously providing a sunshade where necessary.
The work comes from the design houses of world-renowned French architect Jean de Gastines and the innovative, sustainability-conscious Shigeru Ban from Japan. The Seine Musicale is geometrically framed in Ban’s famed timber and includes scenic sweeping terraces and a state-of-the-art music hall with the capacity to seat 1,150 guests.
“This environmentally friendly sail will ultimately become a new identity for the complex. It is expected to become a new symbol as the western gate into Paris” – Shigeru Ban
Gastines modeled the structure after “popular Parisian great halls”. It will serve as a community center for arts and culture and include restaurants, shops, and galleries. Gastines describes it as a “veritable scenographic tool allowing for a wide variety of spectacles: concerts, musicals, live theater, conventions”.
“The audience is spread across multiple terraces all around the stage, creating a large geographic and sensory proximity between the musicians and the audience. Acoustically, the surfaces that compose the different terraces allow for early reflections of the orchestra, intensifying the feeling of intimacy with the musicians.” — Jean de Gastines
Swegon Air Academy explains how the sail functions, stating “The system comprises a motor drive for the top part of the sail using a slewing ring for aiming it. At the base, there are two central motorised carriages linked together by a traction bar, to ensure the synchronisation of the two half sails. The non-motorised side carriages are used to carry some of the load and add stability to the system.”
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