Musée des Confluences

Since the Musée des Confluences opened to the public in late 2014, the iconic building has been visited by millions of people keen to learn more about the story of humankind and the history of life.

The giant glass, steel and concrete museum stands at 44m high, 150m long and 83m wide, with a total area of 22,000 sqm, 6,500 of which is devoted to exhibitions.

Brands: Gartner, Permasteelisa

Architect: COOP HIMMELB(L)AU

Contractor: VINCI Construction

Developer: Mandataire: SERL (Societé d'Equipement du Rhône et de Lyon)

Client: SERL (Société d’Equipement du Rhône et de Lyon)

The project

The concept

The museum’s focus is reflected in its design – structures symbolising a crystal and a cloud stand 8m above the ground on a reinforced concrete podium. Alongside this, a 30m high glass cone, the ‘Well of Gravity’, required the design of 160 special knots to connect the glass to the steel of the structure. The overall architectural design resembles a floating crystal cloud of stainless steel and glass.

What did we do?

Working collaboratively, Gartner and Permasteelisa designed, engineered and manufactured 6,000 sqm of glass and steel façade and over 200 fire and ventilation windows for the crystal structure, as well as 11 glass roofs for the ‘cloud’. Our designers used 3D design to create the complex geometry of the crystal’s steel structure and glazed panels.