The impressively bold projects realized by French architect Jean Nouvel defy any notions of accepted style. Playing with vast swaths of color and shapes that appear retro-futuristic, the Pritzker Prize–winning architect’s museums, concert halls, towers, and residential complexes each have their own signature.
One of his most notable projects, the Louvre Abu Dhabi, is comprised of several white cubes sheltered under a massive dome of thousands of overlapping aluminum stars. It’s “one of the best works I have been fortunate to achieve,” Jean Nouvel told AD in 2017. No other project is quite like it, but of course, that’s what makes the AD100 architect so impressive. His Copenhagen Concert Hall appears like a giant glowing ocean-blue cube at night; his 2018 87-story residential 53 West 53 tower in New York has an angular, gridlike façade that keeps the need for interior structural supports to a minimum; his Sharaan Nature Reserve is hidden among rocks in AlUla, Saudi Arabia. The ability to craft something wholly new with every commission is no small feat.
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This story appears in AD*’s AD100 issue. Never miss an issue when you* subscribe to AD.
