Elizabeth de Portzamparc facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Elizabeth de Portzamparc

Born	Elizabeth Jardim Neves Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Nationality	French / Brazilian
Occupation	Architect

Elizabeth de Portzamparc is a talented architect from France and Brazil. She is known for her creative designs in buildings, museums, and city spaces. Her work often focuses on making places feel special and connected to the people who use them.

About Elizabeth de Portzamparc

Early Life and Education

Elizabeth de Portzamparc was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. From a young age, she had a strong passion for art. Her father, who loved architecture, often took her to the Pampulha Art Museum. He would talk about the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer, whom he knew and admired.

Inspired by a family friend, Iberê Camargo, Elizabeth began practicing conceptual art when she was young. She studied at several schools in Brazil. Later, she moved to France. There, she studied anthropology, urban sociology, and regional planning. She focused on how cities are planned and how people live in them.

Early Career and Research

In France, Elizabeth worked on studies about new towns. She explored ideas like "neighbourhoods" and "sub-neighbourhoods." Her work helped bring the idea of "local life" and community connections into city planning.

By 1980, she was qualified to teach architecture in France. She taught at the National School of Architecture of Paris-Val de Seine from 1984 to 1988. She also worked on research projects for the French government. One project looked at how to involve local communities more in decision-making.

In 1984, she helped create the first city planning group for the "South Paris Green Corridor" project. This project aimed to create a green pathway through the city.

Design and Art Recognition

Elizabeth also designed a special desk called the "24 hours" desk. It was shown at art fairs and the Cartier Foundation in 1985. This desk was so well-received that it was bought by the Fonds national d'art contemporain, a national art collection.

In 1986, she opened her own art gallery in Paris called Mostra. She worked with many famous artists and architects. Through themed exhibitions, she explored how different creative fields approached their work. Her gallery became very well-known in Paris.

In 1987, Elizabeth started her own architecture firm. Since then, her firm has worked on many different types of projects.

Key Architectural Projects

Museum and Public Space Designs

In 1992, Elizabeth won a competition to design the National Museum of Korea. She created a unique "urban path" inside the museum. This path used interior streets that connected to outdoor public spaces and exhibition rooms. It made visiting the museum feel like exploring a city.

In 1995, she designed the Museum of Brittany in Rennes, France. For this museum, she created a library, open indoor squares, and spaces for children. She wanted to make the museum feel like an indoor city. Different historical periods were shown in spaces that looked like buildings, streets, or even a tunnel for darker times.

City Infrastructure and Buildings

In 1997, Elizabeth won a competition to design the stations for the Bordeaux tramway network. She designed the stations to be like public squares in the city. Her goal was to make them transparent, well-lit, and fast-moving. This helped create a unique identity for the city's transport system.

Her other important projects include the Musée de la Romanité in Nîmes, France. She also designed the Grand Documentary Equipment for the Condorcet Campus in Aubervilliers. Another notable project is the Le Bourget railway station in Le Bourget, which is part of the Paris metro system.

Research and Future Ideas

Elizabeth de Portzamparc continues her research at the Atelier International du Grand Paris. She studies the identity of places and how local communities connect. These ideas are very important for building cities today.

She has also proposed ideas for sustainable and flexible housing. These homes are designed to be low-cost and quick to build. Since 2004, she has been working on designs for housing for people who are homeless or need a safe place to live.

Major Projects by Type

Architecture Projects

Oasis bioclimatic tower, Rabat (2015)
Anfa hotel, Casablanca (2015-2018)
Grand Documentary Equipment of the Condorcet Campus, Aubervilliers, France (2014-2019)
Le Bourget railway station, France (2014-2022)
Musée de la Romanité of Nîmes, France (2012-2017)
Housing in Versailles-Chantiers, France (2012-ongoing)
Tower of La Noue, Bagnolet, France
4-star hotel tower, Casablanca, Morocco (2009-)
French Cultural Center in Florianopolis, Brazil (2009-)
Bassins à Flot housing, Bordeaux, France (2009-2016)
Riocentro exhibition center, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2007-2014)

Urban Planning Projects

Restructuring of Pointe de Trivaux neighborhood, Meudon-la-Forêt, France (2015)
Eco-neighborhood project in Châtenay-Malabry, France (2013-)
New city center of Massy, France (2011-2017)
Bordeaux tramway: 145 stations and street furniture (1997-2013)

Regional and Coastal Planning

Qinhuangdao peninsula, China (2013-)
EuroCalais, France (2011)
Dolphin's resort, Natal, Brazil (2009)
Territorial development of Mahdia's coast, Tunisia (2008-)
Buljarica Coastal Development, Montenegro (2007-)
Offshore extension in Monaco (2007-)

Museum Design (Museography)

Musée de la Romanité of Nîmes, France (2012-2017)
Jean Cocteau Museum, Menton, France
Museum of Brittany, Rennes, France (1995-2006)
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, USA (2002)
National Museum of Korea, Seoul (1992-)

Interior Design Projects

Headquarters of Banque Fédérale des Banques Populaires Group, Paris, France (2003)
Headquarters of the Journal Le Monde, Paris, France (2003)
Les Grandes Marches restaurant, Paris, France (2000)
Canal+ Headquarters, Issy-les-Moulineaux, France (1998)
French Embassy in Berlin, Germany (1996)
Café de la Musique restaurant, Paris, France (1994)

Product Design

"Volux" luminaire (2004)
"Hestia" and "Moon Torch" urban luminaires (2002)
"Opéra" chair (2000)
"Zache 2" and "Zache 2 osier" armchairs (2000)
"Dune" chairs (1999)
"Jazz" coat hangers (1989)
"24 hours" desk (1988)

Research on Prefabricated Housing

Revolution Precrafted Home: Home Pavilion project (2015)
Exhibition Casa Cidade Mundo in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2015)
Study for prefabricated housing for the Grand Paris (2012/2013)
Project of prefabricated housing for Santa Catarina, Brazil (2009)

Awards and Recognitions

2016: The Musée de la Romanité of Nîmes won the "Future Heritage Award."
2014: Received a Medal from the French Senate for her work.
Since 2012: Member of the Scientific Council of the Atelier International du Grand Paris.
2005: Mipim design award for the rehabilitation of the Journal Le Monde.
2002: "Lighting Design Award" for the HESTIA urban light.
2002: International Prize for the Brasserie "Les Grandes Marches."
1999: International Prize for Interior Design and Architecture.

Public Appearances and Exhibitions

October 8, 2016: Gave a lecture at the Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism of Caen.
May 20, 2016: Spoke at the "Re-Create the World" Symposium in Paris.
March 11 to May 22, 2016: Participated in the "Passengers of the Grand Paris Express" exhibition.
October 3 to November 14, 2015: Participated in the Casa Cidade Mundo exhibition in Rio de Janeiro.
July 21, 2015: Gave a conference at the Rio Academy International Forum.
February 6, 2014: Spoke at the Centre Pierres Vives on "Urban Identity."
September 29, 2012: Participated in a roundtable on "Architecture & Cinema."
April 24 to May 22, 1988: Participated in the "MDF, creators for a material" exhibition.

Publications and Writings

2016: Contributed to the catalogue of the Biennial of Architecture and Urbanism of Caen.
2015: Contributed to the catalogue for the "A Brief History of the Future" exhibition at the Louvre Museum.
2015: Wrote for the book "Dear Corbu…," a tribute to Le Corbusier.
2014: Contributed to Stream magazine on "Issues of the local in global urbanization."
2013: Wrote for a special edition of L’Architecture Aujourd’hui honoring Oscar Niemeyer.
2006: Published a book about the Museum of Brittany.
1982: Wrote research for the Ministry of Environment on "Extension of local democracy."
1980: Implemented a study on "The neighborhoods of Antony."
1980: Created the "Reference plan of Antony" with Georges Douarre.
1975: Conducted research for the New City of Saint-Quentin en Yvelines.