New Forms Taschen 037

emphasized again here that aside from France, The Netherlands may be one of the most committed proponents of contemporary forms on the old continent. The Groninger Museum in Groningen, cited above because of its Coop Himmelblau de-signed pavilion, is in fact an accumulation of the work of several designers under the direction of Alessandro Mendini. Philippe Starek for one was responsible for the section having to do with the museum's ceramics collection. Like Starek, Mendini is far better known for his design work than he is for architecture. Modeling his museum on the Egyptian tempie of Philae,situated on anartificial island inthecanal separating the central train station from the town center, this surprising structure is now an almost obligatory point of reference for all those seeking to enter this northern Dutchcity. Builtthankstothegenerosityof the Netherlands Gasunie company, the Groninger Museum is an outstanding example of collaboration between political, corporate, architectural and museum personalities.

Above

Architecture Studio Lycće Jules Verne Cergy-Le-Haut, France, 1991-93

This is a 16,600 m² facility built for 1,350 pupils with a budget of 108 million French franes. Architecture Studio was chosen in a 1991 competition organized by the Ile de France Regional Council. The cylindrical building in the main body of the futuristic triangle houses Staff facilities, and a series of bridges join the different volumes together.

40 Introduction