MUSÉE DES CONFLUENCES - ESPÈCES, LA MAILLE DU VIVANT

LYON, FRANCE

2014

Photo by
Aline Perier

The Musée des Confluences recently opened in Lyon holds the rich heritage from the Musée d’Histoire Naturelle – Guimet.

Its name comes from its privileged geographic position where the Rhône and the Saône meet. The architects that designed the museum – the Vienna-based group Coop Himmelb(l)au –  refer to it as the “crystal cloud of knowledge” because of its large glass structure, which will allow visitors to get a clear view of themes of technology, biology and ethics on the horizon.

The permanent gallery “Species, the living world” (designed by Zen+dCo.) is dedicated to the place of man in biodiversity. Wrapped by a large metallic net-like structure - that symbolizes  links of DNA - the path questions the existence of human beings in their relationship to the natural and social environment.