TOUT AU-TOUR

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Licence 1, 1st Semester
November-January 2024
Coordinating professors: Yann Rocher, Alain Guez

For the final project of my first semester, the objective was to design an observatory on the riverbank of the Seine in Ivry, city on the outskirts of Paris.

Given only a limitation on the ground footprint, I chose to build vertically, creating an observatory tower high enough to offer a panoramic view of the entire city. Each platform functions as an observation deck, turning ascent itself into a spatial experience. The higher one climbs, the more territory unfolds. Beginning from a limited scale, the ascent culminates in a view encompassing the whole of Paris and parts of its surroundings, challenging the conventional distinction between what is near and what is distant. How far can the tower’s arms extend?

To explore this, I developed an algorithm that calculates the height required to perceive an object at a given distance and elevation, taking into account visual obstructions and orientation. Approximately fifty identified landmarks,such as the Sacré-Cœur, the Eiffel Tower, and the La Défense towers-were used to approximate the spatial points at which they become visible.

To visualize these results, I connected the identified points to generate an initial circuit, which then informed the design of stairs and platforms rising to a height of 33.25 meters.

Situated on a floating platform that appears and disappears with the fluctuating levels of the Seine, the project emphasizes two central ideas: perpetual movement and ephemerality. Movement occurs along the vertical axis (through the elevator core), the spiral path encircling the main structure, and the diagonals created by changing sightlines.

The notion of invisibility and impermanence is further expressed through the use of metal scaffolding, rendering the tower nearly transparent and placing it in dialogue with Ivry’s surrounding landscape of cranes, industrial buildings, and construction sites. The movement of visitors within the structure remains visible from every angle, giving the impression of a dynamic organism in constant motion.

To truly perceive, one must first encounter darkness. Like in a camera obscura, upon reaching each viewpoint the observer is enveloped in shadow; curiosity is driven by the approach toward the openings that frame specific objects. Concealing all else from within makes the ascent more engaging, while the tower’s external transparency remains unaltered.