The LA+ EXOTIQUE design ideas competition asks entrants to design the forecourt of the Museum of Natural History in Paris. The museum was founded in 1793 during the French Revolution, though the site had been used as a royal garden of medicinal plants since 1635. The site is located on the left bank of the River Seine. It sits within the Jardins des Plantes, which are 28-hectare grounds that include exterior gardens and a zoo (Ménagerie), with five galleries in the museum precinct: Gallery of Evolution, Gallery of Mineralogy and Geology, Gallery of Botany, Gallery of Paleontology and Comparative Anatomy, and Large Greenhouses (Grandes Serres). All of these could be considered inspirations for your design. The Museum is not just a collection of fossils, it is an active research institution studying the evolution of life on this planet, and its occupants, both human and nonhuman.
Entry requires three sheets of images (which should conform to the competition template) and a 350-word supporting text explaining the design concept. In addition, entrants are asked to name their design and provide a 1–2 sentence abstract or “pitch” describing the proposal.
Find out more about the design competition and deadlines at the LA+ competition website