Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière Paris

Stainless Steel Adds a Dash of Contemporary to the Historic Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière Paris  

The building that is now the Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière Paris has a long, eventful history. Located on the world-renowned Champs-Elysées, the Haussmann-style building dates to 1863 and, at one point or another, has served as a popular bar, meeting place for World War I aviators, luxury brasserie, and cinema. Named a historic monument in 1990, it has been the home of the Hotel Fouquet’s Barrière Paris since 2006.

A recent renovation has restored the building to its original state. In addition to refurbishing the guest rooms and amenity areas, the project also reworked the interior courtyard. To hide the ventilation ducts that run through the space, architects added an 18 m high, 10 m wide stainless steel wall that essentially serves as a screen. Adding a contemporary aesthetic to the landscape, the material’s mirror finish increases natural light and reflects the opposite façade, giving the impression that the courtyard is more spacious than it really is.

Resistant to the corrosive effect of city pollution and easy to maintain, the stainless steel wall is the latest chapter in this building’s fascinating story.