The two-phase solution involved the reorganization of the long linear building into a compact U-shaped museum around a focal courtyard. A centrally located glass pyramid forms the new main entrance and provides direct access to galleries in each of the museum’s three wings. Critically, the pyramid also serves as a skylight for a very large expansion building constructed under the courtyard to provide all the public amenities and technical support required in a modern museum.

Corollary objectives for improved urban integration led to the transformation of surface parking into a three-hectare fountain plaza. Closed passages through the building were opened as public rights of way, underground services and parking relieved congestion, and a 55,000m² mixed-use complex, supplementary but independent of the museum, was designed to help finance the project and reinvigorate the heart of Paris. The half-mile-long Louvre, previously an obstacle to circulation, thus became a vital gathering place and bridge to the surrounding city.

The Louvre is located on the bank of the Seine River, Paris, France. Originally constructed as the fortress of Philippe Auguste in 1190, Charles V oversaw the first modernisation process (r. 1364-1380) which resulted in what was to be the beginnings of one of the largest palace complexes in the worldMany additions and renovations were carried out over the next three centuries until Louis XIV, in 1674, put an end to construction at the Louvre and made Versailles the official residence of the French monarch. As Versailles remained thus until the Revolution, the Louvre ceased to symbolise the French monarchy.

In 1699, the Grande Gallerie of the Louvre was utilised for a public art exhibition. The success of this lead to further exhibitions which from 1725 were regularly held in the Grande Salon at the end of the Grande Gallerie, thus the name ‘Salon’ became connected with such events.

In 1765 public opinion, and suggestions from the writers of the time, led to the Louvre being earmarked to become a Palace of Arts and Sciences. It was not until after the Revolution in August 1793 that the Louvre museum was established by the French Republic . Today the Louvre houses more than 6000 European paintings dating from the 13th century to the19th century. Its largest collection is of prints and drawings with an inventory of 130000. Other collections include Islamic art , Oriental Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, and Greek Antiquities with pieces that date back as far as the seventh millenium B.C.

The significance of this great art museum cannot be understated. It has absorbed and reflects the centuries of change in the political and social environment in which it has played many roles. It has become a symbol of art and a mecca for artists and art lovers alike. Indeed the Louvre “embodies for the vast public the very concept of the term ‘museum’