Islamic art has created a vast collection of decorative motifs known as zakhrafa. Parenthèse draws inspiration from these geometric designs to build an elegant and coherent pergola within the Institute of Islamic Cultures with the City of Paris and Studio Miha.  

The metal structure takes up the broken intersecting arch which is a major element of Islamic architecture. It embellishes mosques by giving them a dimension that is both structural and ornamental. It is called broken or ogive because it is formed not of a single arc of a circle, but of two arcs of circles that meet at the top.  

The perforated sheet metal filling is inspired by the octagon. Resulting from the combination of two concentric squares, the figure of the octagon is recurrent in all forms of Islamic art. It symbolizes the intermediary between the square and the circle, the first corresponds to the static form of matter, the second corresponds to the dynamic and the spirit.  

Team:

Architects: Collectif Parenthèse

Photos: Alexis Leclercq