Near the Gare Saint Lazare in Paris, the new Pernod Ricard Foundation is set in a raw and bright volume of the "Grand central" building designed by Jacques Ferrier et Pauline Marchetti.

It consists in various exhibits halls, a coffee shop and a library. A wide auditorium and an area dedicated to stage performances offer a place where the new French contemporary artistic scene is welcome and can express itself.

It was made to be fully flexible thanks to an open-plan layout, free of any structural elements, and a double height allowing the installation of monumental art pieces.

The space can be easily appropriated thanks to a meticulous work on the rhythm of the existing steel structure, in order to be able to create various interiors scales (from an intimate alcove to a large hall “a white cube”). On the ground of the existing building, you can find movable rails which make it possible to form up to 22 halls or exhibits alcoves. All those different arrangements allow almost anyone to make it their own.

The lighting on the ceiling follows the frames defined by the alcoves, enabling the spread of a light from a clear white to a warm one. Rails for all kind of spotlights and cut-outs facilitate the illumination of vertical and horizontal surfaces to transform the picture rails in luminous walls. The windows overlooking the train station are backlit. The surfaces are therefore abstracts whether they are projected on, backlit or diffusing.

The project is completed by a collaboration with the artist Mathieu Mercier regarding the furniture, bar and library.