Cour Visconti, Musée du Louvre

The Cour Visconti of the Musée du Louvre in the heart of Paris was designed by French architect Rudy Ricciotti and Italian design icon Mario Bellini as a flying carpet. Surrounded by the neoclassical Parisian courtyard façades, it houses the museum’s department of Islamic art and over 18,000 works of ... art, many of which are so delicate that they need to be protected from direct sunlight. The roof is an undulating, free-form design – an architectural masterpiece that represents a gentle, sympathetic integration of contemporary architecture into a historic site. Designed and built by Waagner Biro Steel and Glass, the roof consists of 8,000 tubular steel profiles supporting mosaic-like glazed triangles embedded between golden, shading aluminum panels. It covers more than 1,700 m² and forms a gently floating veil that perfectly complements the historic facades without overwhelming them or distracting from their historic and natural beauty.