Christian de

Portzamparc
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Christian de Portzamparc (French

pronunciation: [kʁistjɑ̃ də pɔʁtzɑ̃paʁk];
born 5 May 1944) is a French architect and
urbanist. He graduated from the École
Nationale des Beaux Arts[1] in Paris in
1970 and has since been noted for his
bold designs and artistic touch; his
projects reflect a sensibility to their
environment and to urbanism that is a
founding principle of his work.[2] He won
the Pritzker Prize in 1994.[3]

Christian de Portzamparc
Born 5 May 1944
Casablanca, Morocco

Nationality French

Occupation Architect

Awards 1994 Pritzker Prize,

2004 Grand Prix de
l'urbanisme

Website www.portzamparc
.com
2003-2008 Hotel Renaissance Wagram in Paris

2001-2009 Hergé museum, Louvain-la-Neuve in

Belgium

1984-1995 The City of Music in Paris

Life and career
De Portzamparc was born in Casablanca,
Morocco in 1944, when that country was a
French protectorate, to a family of Breton
noble descent.[4] He began studying
architecture in 1962 at the École nationale
supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris where
he was influenced by professors Eugène
Beaudouin, who "encouraged his taste for
formal expressionism", and George
Candilis, who "emphasized systematic
work on grids and networks."[5] In 1966 he
traveled to New York where he spent a few
months during a nine-month academic
hiatus that was rooted in his hesitations
about continuing in architecture
—"Architecture seemed to me to be too
bureaucratic, and not free enough
compared to art; and the modernistic
ideals which I worshiped before, seemed
to me unable to reach the richness of real
life. I also began to criticize my first
influences like Le Corbusier".[5]
Nevertheless, he returned to his studies in
the 1967 academic year and would
graduate from the Beaux-Arts in 1969.[5]
He created his agency in 1980, supported
by Marie-Élisabeth Nicoleau, Étienne
Pierrès and Bertrand Beau, and later
welcomed Bruno Durbecq, Céline Barda,
Léa Xu, André Terzibachian and Clovis
Cunha. Based in Paris, the agency has
‘satellite’ offices near building sites, in
addition to offices in New York and Rio de
Janeiro, and represents a team of 80
people, drawn from all corners of the
globe.[6]

Both an architect and urban planner,

Christian de Portzamparc is implicated in
the research of form and meaning, as well
as being a constructer. His work focuses
on research over speculation and
concerns the quality of life; aesthetics are
conditioned by ethics, and he maintains
that we have too often dissociated one
from the other. Christian de Portzamparc
focuses on all scales of construction, from
simple buildings to urban re-think; the
town is a founding principal of his work,
developing in parallel and in crossover
along three major lines: neighbourhood or
city pieces, individual buildings and sky-
scrapers.[7]

The growth of Christian de Portzamparc’s

urban projects through competitions and
studies led to an evolution of methods, a
practical result of theoretical research and
analysis. This renewed vision of urban
structure, which he named the “open
block” in the 80s, can be seen today
through projects such as the Quartier
Masséna - Seine Rive Gauche (since
1995), an entire neighbourhood of Paris,
and at La Lironde (since 1991), in the
south of France, both of which illustrate
his master-planning and coordination
techniques.[8]

Christian de Portzamparc’s iconic

buildings, urban poles of attraction, create
environments wherein the interior and
exterior spaces interpenetrate, working as
catalysts in cityscape dynamics. This
method of functioning came into play in
major cultural programmes, often
dedicated to dance and music, the most
recent examples of which include a 1500-
seat philharmonic hall, 300 seat chamber
hall and 120 seat electro-acoustic hall in
Luxembourg, completed in 2005, plus a
unique 1800 seat concert hall that
transforms into a 1300-seat opera house,
which is under construction, amongst
other music halls, as part of the project
Cidade da Música in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The towers created by Christian de

Portzamparc have, since the beginning,
been a result of his studies of the vertical
and sculptural dimension, concentrating
on the prismatic form, the most
recognised example of which is the LVMH
Tower created in 1995 in New York, USA,
for which Christian de Portzamparc
received many accolades, soon to be
accompanied by the residential tower at
400 Park avenue in Manhattan, whose
construction commenced in 2010.

In 1994, Christian de Portzamparc became

the first French architect to gain the
prestigious “Pritzker Architectural Prize”, at
the age of 50.[9]

In 1999, he created the twenty-three story

LVMH Tower on East 57th Street in New
York City and, later, the LVMH's corporate
headquarters on Avenue Montaigne in
Paris, France.[9]

In 2006, the Collège de France created a

53rd chair dedicated ‘artistic creation’, and
called on Christian de Portzamparc to be
its first occupant. Today, he continues his
research work through projects that are
under way around the world, expressing
his freshness, pleasure and passion
through a perfectionism that has
characterised his work from the beginning.

Principal completed projects

1971-1974 Château d’eau, Marne la
Vallée
Philharmonie Luxembourg (1997-2005)

1975-1979 Les Hautes-Formes housing

project, Paris
1983-1987 Paris Opera Ballet School,
Nanterre
1985-1987 Beaubourg Cafe, Paris
1988-1990 Musée Bourdelle, Paris
1989-1991 Nexus II, Fukuoka, Japan
1984-1995 The City of Music, Paris[10]
1991-1995 Crédit Lyonnais tower, Lille
1993-1999 Law courts, Courts of
Justice, Grasse
1993-2006 Centre of science, library and
museum “Les Champs Libres”, Rennes
1994-1999 Extension of the Palais des
Congrès Porte Maillot, Paris
1995-1999 LVMH Tower, New York[11]
1997-2003 Embassy of France, Berlin
2001-2004 Headquarters for the press
group Le Monde, Paris
1997-2005 Philharmonie Luxembourg[12]
2000-2006 “De Citadel”, housing and
commercial centre Almere
 2003-2013 Concert halls, cinema,
school of music Cidade da Musica, Rio
de Janeiro
2007-2009 Musée Hergé, Louvain-la-
Neuve, Belgium
2011–2013 One57, a 75-story
hotel/condominium tower in New York
City
2013–2017 U Arena, new home to the
Racing 92 rugby team in Nanterre

Principal projects under

construction
1991-2009 Development of the Lironde
Gardens and construction of two
Montpellier blocks
1995-2009 Urban development of the
Masséna district, Paris
1998-2009 Croix Rousse Hospital, Lyon
2001-2008 Société Générale tower, La
Défense, Paris
2002-2009 “400 Park Avenue South”
residential tower in Manhattan, New
York
2003-2008 Renaissance Paris Wagram
Hotel, Paris
2006-2009 Regional hall, Hôtel de
Région Rhône Alpes, Lyon
2004-2008 Multiplex Europalaces-
Gaumont, Rennes
 2004-2008 Residential development “La
prairie au Duc”, Nantes
2004-2008 Bastide residential
development in Bordeaux
2011–2015 Amphitheater District in
Metz

Awards and distinctions

1988 - Equerre d’Argent – awarded by
the press group Le Moniteur for the
Dance School of the Paris Opera in
Nanterre[13]
1989 - Commander of the Order of Arts
and Letters – awarded by the French
Ministry of Culture
1990 - The Great Prize of Architecture of
the City of Paris – awarded by the Mayor
of Paris
1992 - Médaille d’Argent – awarded by
the French Academy of Architecture
1993 - Great National Prize of
Architecture – awarded by the French
Ministry of Urbanism and Transport
1994 - Pritzker Prize of Architecture –
awarded by the Hyatt Foundation
1995 - Equerre d’Argent awarded by the
French press group Le Moniteur for the
City of Music – Conservatory of Music
and Dance in Paris
2001 - Business Week and Architectural
Record Award for the LVMH tower in
New York (USA)[14]
2004 - The Great Prize of Urbanism –
awarded by an international jury who
'wanted to congratulate a work with
achievements of high quality combined
with city vision and philosophy
articulating theoretical concepts and
concrete realisations, while developing
an optimistic vision for the future
through his works and writings'[15]
2005 - MIPIM Award for the remodelling
of the building for the press group Le
Monde in Paris[16]
Publications and biographies
Exhibition catalogue « Rêver la ville »,
Sophie Trelcat, Paris, Le Moniteur, 2007
Architecture : figures du monde, figures
du temps, Leçons inaugurales au
Collège de France, Collège de
France/Fayard, Paris, 2006
Voir écrire, Christian de Portzamparc &
Philippe Sollers, Paris, Folio Gallimard,
2005
Christian de Portzamparc by Gilles de
Bure Edited by Terrail, 2003
Christian de Portzamparc, entretien avec
Y. Futagawa, G.A. Document extra 04 /
in Studio Talk interview with 15
architects (Tokyo, A.D.A edita,2002
Christian de Portzamparc by Riccardo
Florio, Edited by Officina Edizioni, 1997
Christian de Portzamparc
G.A.Document, 1996
Christian de Portzamparc Disegno e
forma dell’architettura per la città,
R.Florio (Roma, Officina Edizioni, 1996)
Généalogie des formes by Christian de
Portzamparc, Edited by Dis Voir, about
free drawings and paintings,1996
Christian de Portzamparc Edited by Arc
en Rêve/ Birkhauser, 1996
 Scènes d'Atelier Edited by Centre
Georges Pompidou, 1996
Christian de Portzamparc by Jean Pierre
Le Dantec Edited by Le Regard, 1996
Christian de Portzamparc Urban
situations Edited by Gallery MA - Tokyo -
Japan 1991
Christian de Portzamparc Published by
Le Moniteur, 1984–1987

Books on projects
La philharmonie de Luxembourg,
entretien avec C. de Portzamparc, M.
Brausch. (Luxembourg, Fonds
d’Urbanisation et d’Aménagement du
Plateau de Kirchberg, 2003)
La tour LVMH, entretien avec C. de
Portzamparc «Portzamparc ou l’esprit
des lieux». «Christian de Portzamparc
The LVMH Tower», J. Giovannini,
F.Rambert, (Connaissance des Arts hors
série, Paris, 1999)
De la danse - école du ballet de L’Opéra
de Paris, C. de Portzamparc (Paris, Les
éditions du Demi-Cercle, 1990)
La cité de la musique, M. Bleuse, P.
Boulez, S. Goldberg, J-C. Casadesus, O.
Messiaen, P. Sollers, H. Tonka,C. de
 Portzamparc (Paris, Champ Vallon,
1986)
Rue des Hautes Formes, C. de
Portzamparc (Paris, Régie immobilière
de la ville de Paris, RIVP, 1979)

References
1. Architecture : figures du monde, figures
du temps, Leçons inaugurales au Collège
de France, Collège de France/Fayard, Paris,
2006
2. Exhibition catalogue « Rêver la ville »,
Sophie Trelcat, Paris, Le Moniteur, 2007
3. The Pritzker Architecture Prize 1994
Sponsored by the Hyatt Foundation
4. de Séréville, Étienne; de Saint Simon,
Fernand (1975). Dictionnaire de la noblesse
française. p. 969.
5. "Christian de Portzamparc Biography" .
The Pritzker Architecture Prize. Hyatt
Foundation. Archived from the original on
2013-06-23. Retrieved 23 June 2013.
“Architecture seemed to me to be too
bureaucratic, and not free enough
compared to art; and the modernistic ideals
which I worshiped before, seemed to me
unable to reach the richness of real life. I
also began to criticize my first influences
like Le Corbusier.”
6. Christian de Portzamparc by Gilles de
Bure Edited by Terrail, 2003
7. Christian de Portzamparc by Riccardo
Florio, Edited by Officina Edizioni, 1997
8. Généalogie des formes by Christian de
Portzamparc, Edited by Dis Voir, about free
drawings and paintings,1996
9. Chevalier, Michel (2012). Luxury Brand
Management. Singapore: John Wiley &
Sons. ISBN 978-1-118-17176-9.
10. La cité de la musique, M. Bleuse, P.
Boulez, S. Goldberg, J-C. Casadesus, O.
Messiaen, P. Sollers, H. Tonka,C. de
Portzamparc (Paris, Champ Vallon, 1986)
11. La tour LVMH, entretien avec C. de
Portzamparc «Portzamparc ou l’esprit des
lieux».
12. La philharmonie de Luxembourg,
entretien avec C. de Portzamparc, M.
Brausch. (Luxembourg, Fonds
13. De la danse - école du ballet de L’Opéra
de Paris, C. de Portzamparc(Paris, Les
éditions du Demi-Cercle,1990).
14. The LVMH Tower, Connaissance des
Arts, 2007
15. Grand Prix de l'Urbanisme 2004 Portrait
des nominés, edited by le ministre de
l'Equipment, des Transports, de
l'Aménagement du Territoire, du Tourisme
et de la Mer,
16. Paris 2000 New Architecture by Sam
Lubell, The Monacelli Press
Paris 2000 New Architecture by Sam
Lubell, The Monacelli Press

External links
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