La Luciole Concert Hall

Situated on the edge of Alençon, in the rural landscape of Lower Normandy, La Luciole – French for firefly – designed by Paris-based firm Moussafir Architectes, appears as an urban beacon, set in counterpoint to the linear façade of the adjacent exhibition centre. The exterior of this French performing arts center is characterized by seemingly random arrangement of white and blue panels suggests a pixilated fragment of the sky, often covered with fleeing clouds. With darker shades concentrated where the two cylinders meet, the overall effect evokes a geyser linking the earth and the sky. Structurally, the project consists of two cylindrical steel frames and a concrete enclosure for the stage (smaller concrete boxes are used for entrances and exits). An arch emerging where the two cylinders intersect marks the border between the stage and the audience.