Dreams, Realities is the theme of a public lecture one of the world’s top architects, urban planners and designers, Frenchman Jean-Michel Wilmotte, will be giving on Tuesday.
Since his first steps in design to his latest work in the public arena, such as the Wall for Peace under the Eiffel Tower, Mr Wilmotte has been seeking to establish a style that could be described as “classic modern”, a discreetly contemporary architecture that derives inspiration from traditional models.
His projects vary in both scale and nature, from a corkscrew to the latest Turboprop and from an airport in Seoul to a wine chateau in southwest France.
His 130-odd team composed of 20 nationalities, working from offices in London and in Paris, have so far designed, restructured or conceived over 1,600 projects around the world including the Museum of Islamic Art in Qatar, the Arsenal Museum in Kiev, the Ferrari sports managing facility in Maranello and the project to transform an ornate building on Moscow’s mythical Red Square into a five-star hotel and 100 apartments totalling over 300,000 square metres.
But what is considered to be most striking in Mr Wilmotte’s approach to architecture is his passion for old buildings. His renovation of the Richelieu section of the Louvre or the Chiado museum in Lisbon are both impressive examples of his artistry in creating an uninterrupted dialogue between past and present, tradition and contemporary.
An in-depth study of his works reveals his characteristic search for ways of breathing new life into an ancient building without changing its original use or recreating spaces with different functions. Throughout, the architect strives to retain a building’s soul.
The best example of a renovation conceived and realised by Mr Wilmotte is the Collège des Bernardins in Paris. Originally constructed in 1245 by Cistercian monks, this gothic abbey was a centre of intellectual excellence at a time when monasteries, the seat of intellectual pursuit, were being replaced by universities. For 400 years, the abbey was to host thousands of monks hailing from France, Flanders, Germany and central Europe before falling to disuse in the 17th century. Among the most noteworthy scholars studying at there was Jacques Fournier, who obtained a doctorate in about 1314 and would later become Pope Benedict XII.
The building that belongs to the Archdiocese of Paris was completely renovated in 2008 thanks to the vision of Cardinal Jean-Marie Lustiger, who was Archbishop of Paris between 1981 and 2005. The place has now been renewed, in keeping with its initial vocation, and serves as a centre for research and inter-community dialogue.
The public lecture will be held at the Malta Chamber Of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry, in Valletta, at 6 p.m. and members of the audience should be seated by 5.45 p.m.
Mr Wilmotte will be visiting Malta at the invitation of the French Embassy with the collaboration of The Today Public Policy Institute.