Émeric Lambert, architecte, associé fondateur agence Parc architectes
At Architect at Work Paris, Émeric Lambert will be presenting Parc architectes' future projects, including the Centre Culturel de Papeete in Tahiti. This cultural facility has been designed as an umbrella, inspired by the observation of tropical plants.
The shade is formed by V-shaped roofs that collect rainwater, which is abundant in Polynesia, and drain it into the poles. In the same way that banana trees use their large leaves to bring water back to their stems and store it.
Cyclonic conditions can expose the building to winds of 260km/h. To cope with these events, tropical plants are flexible and their palms close under the effect of the wind, thus reducing the uprooting effect. The architecture of the Papeete Cultural Centre was inspired by this natural system. The V-shaped roofs allow the wind to evacuate and limit the uprooting effect. These biomimetic principles guided the design of the building.
This seminar was accredited if you attended it live. You can still watch the seminar here on replay.