Overview
“If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast.” said Ernest Hemingway, the world-famous American writer in his memoir “A Moveable Feast” (1964).
His love for Paris is so ardent that it is contagious. Now let us start our journey from the Paris Arrondissements where young Hemingway ever lived (the 5th Arrondissements). It also brings us to the topic of this week, the Foundation Louis Vuitton located int 16th Arrondissement & the duplex stainless steel application for it.
Foundation Louis Vuitton
Foundation Louis Vuitton is a contemporary art museum and cultural center privately owned by the luxury brand LVMH and its President Bernard Arnault. Visitors will be charged 5 to 16 Euros for entrance based on age (Entrance Fee 2025).
A permanent collection (constituted by works belonging to the Foundation and personal collection from Bernard Arnault) and a range of contemporary art works are displayed in the Foundation. Meanwhile as a dynamic cultural center, it also hosts temporary exhibitions, artist performance and educational events targeted toward young audiences.
Project Background
The project was initiated by the Chairman Bernard Arnault with a mission to promote creativity and artistic creation in France and also an international level.
Arnault signed with the city of Paris a lease for 55 years till 2062, after which time the foundation would come as a gift to Paris (Leslie Livingston 2023). They got the building permission in August 2007 and the ensuing works were commenced in March 2008. The Museum was inaugurated on 24 Oct 2014.
It took such a long time for construction, which could mainly be attributed to the difficulty in forming the glass sails designed for the structure, criticized by some professionals as unnecessary for prioritizing aesthetics over functionality.
The glass sails called for 25000 different parts. To add to the complexity, these parts were so distinct that engineers even regarded two same parts as a series (MolyReview 2015)! Due to the complex design, the Foundation took longer than expected and was over budget.
The Design of Foundation Louis Vuitton
Foundation Louis Vuitton was designed by Frank Gehry, the famous Canadian – American architect who also designed the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles introduced in our previous article. Frank’s architecture style is daring and unique, particularly characterized by his disdain on rectilinear forms.
Arnault had met Frank before and invited him to see the site for a museum he wanted to build for himself (Joseph Giovannini 2014). Due to the site located in Paris’ historic Bois de Boulogne park, they figured the Foundation had to be a garden building to fit into the context. Legal height was two stories high if a solid building was constructed, but glass enclosure would allow them to go higher beyond that restriction.
Inspired by the 19th century park buildings made of glass epitomized by Joseph Paxton’s Crystal Palace, Frank and Arnault met with the mayor with five to six sketches. It turned out the final building was close and resonant with the first sketch picked by the mayor accidentally (Joseph Giovannini 2014). As early as in 2001 the first sketches of the Foundation building were drawn.
“I dream of designing, in paris, a magnificent vessel symbolizing the cultural calling of France”, said Frank when developing ideas for this project (Designboom 1999-2025). His idea was transformed into “a veritable ship amongst trees” (Arch2O 2025), featuring twelve glass sails hovering strategically above a series of white blocks known as the iceberg.
These curved glass sails are of bright and transparent quality, reminiscent of billow and ripple, reflecting the natural surroundings like the sky, the trees and the changing weather. As described by Frank vividly, the building was like an iceberg emerging from the earth, sheltered by a cloud of glass sails (Wonderful Museums 2025).
Stainless Steel Applied in the Foundation Louis Vuitton
When it comes to the most striking feature of the Foundation Louis Vuitton, the twelve glass sails can be the first impression that comes into mind. They are made from 3500 customized glass panels supported by duplex stainless steel grid.
2205 duplex stainless steel was chosen over 316L for both of its corrosion resistance and strength. Though 316L is sufficient to resist the humidity, rain and sharp temperature changes associated with Paris, it can hardly support the sail structure without adding extra weight. 2205 due to its higher yield and tensile strength can reduce 30% weight in structure contrasted with 316L. Considering future maintenance and longevity, 2205 is also superior.
The 2205 duplex stainless steel materials that form the supporting grid, include duplex stainless steel plates 120mm thick, duplex stainless steel pipes (or gutters) of 220mm diameter and 20 mm thickness, duplex stainless steel tubes (or transoms) of 90 & 80mm diameter and 8 mm thickness, and other duplex stainless steel accessories like braces, rods, bolts and rails. All these duplex stainless steel parts were polished 220 grit to increase the aesthetic appeal required by Frank. 316L was only used for interior water piping system, nothing to do with supporting the glass sails (IMOA 2025).
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