The Philharmonie de Paris is the great concert hall that the capital had been missing. But not only that. It is also a place designed to open the doors of music to as many people as possible. Architect Jean Nouvel invented a mineral building with innovative forms. As soon as you enter, the ceiling of the vast hall catches your eye. Its entire surface is bristling with metal strips that hang down to the floor. Designed like an upside-down fakir carpet, the slats are reflected on a wall of mirrors. Jean Nouvel, who likes to blow hot after cold, has designed a long red corridor that leads to the Grande Salle Pierre Boulez.