This event consists of two presentations by two French firms: first Jean-Marc Ibos and Myrto Vitart; then, at 56:19, Dominique Lyon.

Greg Walsh provides a general introduction for Jean-Marc Ibos, Myrto Vitart and Dominique Lyon, noting that they all worked for Jean Nouvel at some point in their careers.

Jean-Marc Ibos with Myrto Vitart discuss the public competition system in France, noting that all of their work has been obtained through competitions.

Ibos and Vitart present a cultural center in the west of France. They document a competition for a library defined by the relationships with an existing library and a new district in the city. They present their effort to subvert the placement of the traditional elements of a church in a project located in La Defense. They discuss an extension to a Beaux Arts building in Lille, where they were asked to
create a relationship between past and present.

Greg Walsh introduces the next speaker, Dominique Lyon, recalling working with him at Gehry’s office on a project for Nîmes. Walsh notes that Lyon is working on a book about Le Corbusier (Le Corbusier Alive, 2000).

Dominique Lyon presents a competition entry for the French Pavillion for Expo 1992 in Seville, stressing the importance of human scale and his interest in expressing the “body condition.” Lyon reflects on the topic of modernity and the creation of a “great void” in the world of architecture, and the need to fill this void with discourse and inquiry.

Lyon presents a building for a French newspaper, with a curved facade. He documents a series of libraries. He concludes with documentation of the development of a transparent facade for a library in the east of France.