PLANETARIUM AND ASTRONOMY MUSEUM | VAULX-EN-VELIN, GRAND LYON, FRANCE

Description:

​

In 2005, Vaulx-en-Velin organized a competition calling for a new Astronomy Museum that was to be erected around the pre-existing Planetarium, located on a square with trees (place de la Nation). The competition asked for designs for a museum building, an auditorium, an office, and a new entrance. The final project distributes these components into multiple blocks of different sizes, surrounding the original Planetarium. As a whole, the project brings back a human scale to this urban area. The windowed facades of the various buildings look out over the square, whilst offering passersby a welcoming glimpse inside.

​

The Planetarium and Astronomy Museum currently has a permanent exhibition of research carried out on mass and time, produced in part by the nearby CERN.

Architects:

Saskia Fokkema (competition, study, execution, scenography)

SOHO (execution)

Ducks Sceno & Quadriplus (scenography)

​

Location: Place de la Nation, 69120 Vaulx-en-Velin, Grand Lyon, France

Dates:

Competition: 2005 - 2006

Design and development: 2007 - 2010

Construction: 2011 - 2013

Status: Built

Surface: 2655 m²

Client: City of Vaulx-en-Velin, Grand Lyon, France

​