Kengo Kuma’s uneven aluminium dome under the Albert-Kahn art museum attracts visitors

The public may now enter the brand-new Albert-Kahn art museum on the outskirts of Paris thanks to renovation work and the creation of a brand-new structure by famous architect Kengo Kuma. Passers-by are drawn in by an envelope composed of haphazardly arranged aluminium strips, which also gives the spaces a dance of light and shadow. Visitors are invited to explore the enormous Kahn collections in a unique 2300 sqm architecture under the structure's uneven aluminium dome, reflecting the sky's variations.

'The display space was designed in an extended linear sequence from the paths through this garden. A screen made from aluminum and wood is inserted between the path and exterior environment while it continues to meander horizontally and vertically, controlling the relationship between the two,' said the architects.

Albert Kahn, a commercial entrepreneur who documented his journeys throughout the world with 72,000 colour pictures and 183,000 metres of film, created the museum, which is situated on the south side of the Bois de Boulogne.

'The envelope on the city side is mainly made from aluminium, and the envelope on the garden side is mainly made from wood, and at times these two materials are mixed in a gradational manner. This gives the building a natural skin that gently adapts to different environments while interacting with them,' said the design team.

In the finished design, a reworking of the traditional physical medium of Japanese architecture known as "Engawa" is evident, demonstrating a strong conceptual aspect. Engawa, which means "in-between space," refers to a barrier separating the inside from the outside. The design team aimed to combine architecture and landscape to achieve seamless harmony between the show area and tame nature.