subject: 3 Great Architects and their Famous Brise Soleils [print this page] Nouvel is a French architect who was commissioned to develop the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. The Institute was built after eighteen Arab countries decided together with France, that they wanted an institute where research about Arab culture could be conducted and the information disseminated. Above the front windows, a metallic screen unfolds with moving geometric motifs. The motifs are actually 240 motor-controlled chambers, which open and close every hour. They act as a brise soleil to control the light entering the building. The system creates interior spaces with filtered light- an effect that is often used in Islamic architecture as a climate coping strategy. The design of the Institut du Monde Arab has since become a cultural highlight of Paris and led Nouvel to architectural fame. Winner of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture, the building houses a museum, library, auditorium, and restaurant, as well as several offices.
