AIPC
A forest in the city
AIPC CEO SVEN BOSSU FINDS INSPIRATION IN SOME SUPRISING PLACES FOR BUILDINGS TO CONNECT WITH COMMUNITIES
V enue design has been subject to massive changes over the last decades . Event facilities are no longer the big blocks of concrete , appearing in cities like white elephants and with no connection with the local communities . Architects now need to take into account need for flexibility , sustainability , visitor wellness , aesthetics and so much more . Inspiration to make this a reality can sometimes come from surprising places .
Visiting Paris is always a pleasure . It is one of my favourite cities for many reasons , including architecture . And , with the 2024 Olympic Games approaching , it seems that both private owners and local authorities are doing their utmost to make the city of lights shine even more , with roadworks and restoration ongoing throughout the city . But this particular visit had a different purpose than admiring the city views
– I was invited to visit a venue of which the restoration is inspired by the work of a comic book artist , François Schuiten . Schuiten , a Belgian citizen , but semi-adopted by the French and is most known for drawing the series Les Cités Obscures , or Obscure Cities .
The CNIT Forest , as the venue is called , will open in September and is located within the business district of Paris , La Défense . It is part of an eclectic set of 12 venues , managed by VIParis . What makes this restoration special is the underlying mindset . The designers – including Schuiten - wanted to “ keep in mind the spirit of audacity , of inventiveness , of creativity , and also the desire for nature and the ambition to connect to the most advanced technologies ”.
The result indeed is the feeling of a entering an underground forest , composed of digital trees , complemented with natural light . The
Above : Sven Bossu
“ Event facilities are no longer the big blocks ofconcrete , appearing in cities like white elephants and with no connection with the local communities ”
materials used aim to create a sense of calm and the overall flow is very intuitive . The contrast with the “ buzz ” in the business district outside could not be bigger – it simply feels like you ’ re entering a special place .
It is something which is becoming an overall trend when it comes to venue design : the ability to offer visitors a unique experience through ( event ) design and technology , while at the same time offering maximum flexibility and cost-efficiency . Great examples are the new BMO Centre in Calgary , ICC Sydney or the Swiss Tech Convention Centre in Lausanne . All of these venues took the customer experience as starting point when developing their plans and indeed offer something unique , impossible to be found in another venue .
Given the struggle that associations have to attract their members to their events – both as criterium for member engagement and as ways to generate non-dues revenues – being able to offer such unique experiences will become more important . It also means that organisers are thinking more and more “ out of the box ” when it comes to selecting a destination and / or an event venue and the offer is definitely there . Just looking at the city where our offices are located – Brussels – you can rent anything from a heritage building to a former Airbus A320 recycled as an event hall .
This is another reason why the renovation of the CNIT Forest is so interesting , as it demonstrates the trends of existing venues reinventing themselves into experience centres . It is also one of the topics we will touch upon during the AIPC Annual Conference , taking place in Luxembourg at the European Conference Center Luxembourg , 16-19 July , with three architects / designers sharing their views on the future of event venues and their integration in the local communities .
ISSUE 125 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 11