Steven Holl to design new Angers Collectors Museum + tapestry-like hotel in France

Steven Holl Architects, along with French real estate investor Compagnie de Phalsbourg, will be in charge of designing the new Angers Collectors Museum and an adjacent glass hotel in the heart of historic Angers, France. 

Located east of the Maine river, the museum will be near Le Quai theater and across the 13th-century Chateau d'Angers built by King Louis IX, therefore creating a new cultural triangle in the heart of the city that connects medieval and contemporary architecture.

Showing off an exposed titanium and white concrete exterior, the museum is set within a series of reflecting pools, which refers to when the site was once part of the Maine river.

 At 4,742 square meters, the museum contains permanent and temporary exhibition spaces, an atrium event space, and other areas for art education activities and art storage. 

The museum will connect to a linear hotel that was inspired by the 14th-century Apocalypse Tapestry, which is on display at the Chateau d'Angers. Clear and translucent glass are “woven together“ to create a tapestry-like facade.

The museum and hotel form a central public sculpture garden, and they will also share a rooftop restaurant. The structure will use geothermal heating and cooling to avoid using fossil fuels, while recycled water will fill the reflecting pools.