Video: Light, geometry and symbolism — how Jean Nouvel’s architecture reimagines culture

.

The renowned French architect Jean Nouvel begins his ambitious projects with small, sparse sketches that capture the essence of his ideas. When he finishes, he has generally created some of the most thoughtful and celebrated works of modern architecture in the world. While Nouvel’s portfolio – which includes such iconic buildings as the Arab World Institute (Institut du monde arabe) in Paris and the Doha Tower in Qatar – is diverse, his work is characterised by an interplay of light, geometry and symbolism that reflects both the culture of a building’s surroundings and its interior life. Directed by Matt Tyrnauer, Jean Nouvel: Reflections is both a visually stunning career retrospective and an argument for how successful architecture should, in Nouvel’s words, ‘reflect a culture in a said instant’.

[Text adapted from Aeon]

.

Email subscribers may click on the title of this post to watch the video.

.

On the left is a photograph of the 232 meter high Burj Doha in the city center of Qatar overlooking the Arabian Gulf. On the right is a section of the outside wall which incorporates Islamic motifs.

.

The dome at the top of the Burj Doha.