A twisting tower clad in reflective aluminium tiles, designed by architect Frank Gehry, is taking form in the south of France.
Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, who was awarded the Pritzker Prize in 1989, designed the tower for the Luma Arles complex, an arts centre established by Swiss collector Maja Hoffmann.

The tower's opening date has been pushed back to spring 2020, but new photos show the irregular form of the metallic tower taking shape above the city of Arles.
Due to be 56 metres high when complete, the tower is formed of a concrete core with a steel frame. Glass boxes and shining aluminium panels are stacked around this in an irregular formation above a circular glass atrium.

Gehry's design for the facade is supposed to echo the craggy rock formations found near the city, the same kind that inspired sometime-resident Vincent van Gogh to paint them in 1888. Inside, a vast circular atrium will recall the Roman amphitheatre in Arles, part of the city's designated UNESCO World Heritage site.
American architecture critic Frank Miller described Gehry's design as a "stainless-steel tornado", although some locals have reportedly dismissed it as resembling a crumpled drinks can.

The Luma Arles is set on the site of an SNCF rail yard that has been abandoned since 1986.
New York-based Selldorf Architects has already transformed several industrial buildings on the site into gallery spaces, while Belgian landscape architect Bas Smets is crea...