OMA to create contemporary art gallery for Galeries Lafayette in Paris
News: OMA has won planning permission to transform a 19th-century structure in Paris into a gallery and studio for contemporary artists, commissioned by French department store Galeries Lafayette.
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_468_7.jpg)
The Galeries Lafayette Foundation will take over all five storeys of an old industrial building in Le Marais – one of Paris' oldest neighbourhoods – just east of the Centre Pompidou.
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_468_8.jpg)
Rem Koolhaas' firm plans to restore the U-shaped building back to its original condition and complement it with a new exhibition tower, which will occupy the existing courtyard.
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_468_4.jpg)
The tower will feature two sets of motorised levels that can be split up to create a total of four mobile platforms. These will be able to move up and down to align with different floors, allowing exhibitions to extend beyond the gallery walls.
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_468_9.jpg)
"The mobile floors offer a new curatorial dimension, complementing the traditional use of the preserved structure," said OMA in a statement.
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_468_10.jpg)
The building's basement will become an art production centre, described by the architects as the "heart of the site", while the ground floor will be dedicated to public programmes, creating a route between Rue du Plâtre and Rue Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie.
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_468_11.jpg)
"The architectural concept was derived from the need for flexibility – a common requirement for cultural institutions – and from the restrictions applied to the site by the city heritage authorities," said OMA.
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_468_0.jpg)
Due to open in the autumn of 2016, the 2,500-square-metre Galeries Lafayette Foundation building will encompass sculpture, ceramics, fashion, design and performing arts, with a focus on creation, innovation and research.
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_468_2.jpg)
OMA, whose best-known projects include the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and the CCTV Headquarters, is also currently working on galleries in Moscow and New York.
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_0.gif)
![Galeries Lafayette Foundation by OMA](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/07/Galeries-Lafayette-Foundation-by-OMA_dezeen_1.gif)