Remade in Paris: a new life for the abandoned buildings of the capital
An enormous art nouveau greenhouse rises from the forest of Meudon, its facade entirely of glass. Inside, suspended from the ceiling, is a shiny inflatable zeppelin 21 meters long, which looks like it is about to burst at any moment through the central circular window of the facade.
The airship is a permanent, site-specific work of art by Korean artist Lee Bul, designed to draw attention to and define the huge space: it is Hangar Y, the world's first airship manufacturing hangar, built in 1878. Less than 10 miles southwest of Paris, it produced airships and hot air balloons until the end of the First World War. After a brief stint as an aeronautics museum, it was abandoned and left empty for 40 years.
Hangar Y is one of many empty or disused buildings in the Paris region which are dusted off, renovated and given new life. Abandoned urban plots – or wasteland – are transformed into cultural hubs with varied uses, exhibition spaces, concert halls, workspaces, premises for charities and places for popular evenings.
"The Y hangar is a remarkable and famous site in the world of aerospace," said Managing Director Aideen Halleman. "The idea is to create a site with a dual purpose of events and culture - and with such a massive space, we can do very large events."
In its heyday, three 100-meter-long airships could fit inside the 2,800-square-meter hangar. When it opens in March, exhibitions will take place on a spacious mezzanine, with the rest of the space used for concerts, conferences and a...
An enormous art nouveau greenhouse rises from the forest of Meudon, its facade entirely of glass. Inside, suspended from the ceiling, is a shiny inflatable zeppelin 21 meters long, which looks like it is about to burst at any moment through the central circular window of the facade.
The airship is a permanent, site-specific work of art by Korean artist Lee Bul, designed to draw attention to and define the huge space: it is Hangar Y, the world's first airship manufacturing hangar, built in 1878. Less than 10 miles southwest of Paris, it produced airships and hot air balloons until the end of the First World War. After a brief stint as an aeronautics museum, it was abandoned and left empty for 40 years.
Hangar Y is one of many empty or disused buildings in the Paris region which are dusted off, renovated and given new life. Abandoned urban plots – or wasteland – are transformed into cultural hubs with varied uses, exhibition spaces, concert halls, workspaces, premises for charities and places for popular evenings.
"The Y hangar is a remarkable and famous site in the world of aerospace," said Managing Director Aideen Halleman. "The idea is to create a site with a dual purpose of events and culture - and with such a massive space, we can do very large events."
In its heyday, three 100-meter-long airships could fit inside the 2,800-square-meter hangar. When it opens in March, exhibitions will take place on a spacious mezzanine, with the rest of the space used for concerts, conferences and a...
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