Coop Himmelb(l)au, Musée des Confluences, Lyon

Since the end of the 20th century, an unprecedentednumber of remarkable museums havebeen built. None have had bigger worldwide implicationsthan Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museumin Bilbao (1991-97). Until, that is, the newMusée des Confluences in Lyon was openedto the public, in late 2014. It was created byWolf D. Prix of the Coop Himmelb(l)au team,which was founded in the 1970s. Many avantgardegroups from those wild years - such asArchigram, Superstudio, Archizoom, Haus-Rucker-Co, and the Japanese Metabolists - arenow consigned to the past, but the Coop Himmelb(l)au architecture firm, whose special aspirationwas always to bring into the world buildingsthat overcome the pull of the earth - buildings»to float on the horizon like clouds« - ismore in demand than ever.The finest demonstration of this endeavour todate can now be admired in Lyon. Functioningas a museum of human history, this impressiveconcrete, metal and glass colossus truly doesappear to float above the peninsula at the confluenceof the Rhône and the Saône. Like theGuggenheim Museum in Bilbao, this new building,so impossible to overlook, is an inspirationfor the revitalisation of disrupted urban areas andthe valorisation of derelict industrial areas - withinthe city precincts, but also far beyond Lyon.This Opus volume deals with the origins, construction,function and formal appearance of theMusée des Confluences, and also offers a preliminarytheoretically based evaluation of the architectureof the building.Frank R. Werner was professor of history andarchitecture theory at the Staatliche Akademieder Bildenden Künste Stuttgart from 1990 until1994 and director of the Institut für Architekturgeschichteund Architekturtheorie at the BergischeUniversität in Wuppertal from 1993 until his retirementin 2012. He studied painting, architectureand history of architecture in Mainz, Hanover andStuttgart. Christian Richters studied communicationdesign at the Folkwangschule in Essen. Heis one of the most sought-after architecture photographersin Europe. To date he has been representedin the Opus series by 13 volumes, includingones about the embassies of the Nordiccountries and the Bode Museum in Berlin, theNieuwe Luxor Theater in Rotterdam and theBMW Welt in Munich.See also: Opus 66. Coop Himmelb(l)au, BMWWelt, München, Edition Axel Menges 2009.