Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center| Renzo Piano Building Workshop
An understanding of the development of Kanak culture was a vital part of this project ? becoming familiar with Kanak history, environment and beliefs made it possible to design a building that would fit within this context. Close working relationships with local people, Marie-Claude Tjibaou (Jean-Marie Tjibaou?s widow), and anthropologist Alban Bensa were an essential part of this learning process. Taking inspiration from the Kanak people?s deep ties with nature, the project sought to meet two main objectives: one was to represent the Kanak?s talent for building, and the other was the use of modern materials such as glass, aluminium, steel and modern light technologies along with the more traditional wood and stone. The Center designed by RPBW is a cluster of ?huts?, small pavilions and tree-filled spaces. It is located on a spit of land called the Tina Peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides. The site?s lush vegetation is cut through with trails and paths, amongst which there are ?villages?: clusters of buildings with strong ties to their context, their semicircular layout defining open communal areas. photography by © Flickr user Fourrure
The structure and above all, the functionality of New Caledonian huts were reproduced and adapted, architecturally as well as socially. There are ten huts, of three different sizes, from 20 to 28m in height, all interconnected by a footpath. Within the Cultural Cent...