Exhibition showcases future museum design

The City Hall of Caen in Calvados is hosting an exhibition titled La Main de l’architecte, which reveals the architectural and landscape design plans for the upcoming Gandur Museum. This exhibition will be open to the public until January 8, 2027.

International competition selects winning design

Between August 2025 and May 2026, eight internationally renowned architecture firms from countries such as France, Spain, Ireland, and Japan were invited to design the museum. After months of work and deliberation, the Evaluation Committee, led by Jean Claude Gandur, chose the project by the Italian-Spanish firm Barozzi Veiga in May 2026.

Winning design emphasizes landscape integration

The winning project by Barozzi Veiga envisions the museum not as a traditional building but as an "inhabited landscape." The design includes a series of pavilions embedded in a park, connected by gardens, courtyards, and a water feature. The museum will be fully accessible on the ground floor and will include exhibition spaces, an auditorium, and landscaped gardens across a 6-hectare site.

Exhibition includes detailed models and interviews

Visitors to the exhibition will be able to walk through a scaled model of the museum, view detailed plans, and explore sketches and a 1/300 scale model. The exhibition also features a cross-interview between Jean Claude Gandur and architect Fabrizio Barozzi, highlighting their shared vision for the museum’s design and purpose.

Other architects' proposals on display

In addition to the winning design, the exhibition showcases the proposals from the seven other invited firms: Grafton Architects, Mikoü Architecture, Moatti Rivière Architecture, OMA, Snøhetta Studio, Wilmotte & Associés Architectes, and Riken Yamamoto & Field Shop. Each proposal reflects a unique approach to integrating architecture with the landscape and accommodating diverse museum activities.

Exhibition highlights architectural diversity

The exhibition provides renderings, models, and detailed plans that allow visitors to explore the creativity and diversity of the architectural proposals. An accompanying report documents the entire international consultation process, offering insight into the design challenges and opportunities presented by the site.