The Grand Palais has risen from its ashes. With the official inauguration of the exhibitions by the Centre Pompidou—soon to close for its own renovation set to begin in spring 2026—the restoration of one of Paris’s largest monuments can be considered largely complete. Covering 72,000 square meters and originally built for the 1900 Universal Exhibition, this glass and steel jewel has left a permanent mark on the city’s history and imagination.
The outcome of the project by Chatillon Architectes was presented to the press during the 2024 Olympic Games, although the state of the construction site at the time prevented a full appreciation of the overall vision. With works now nearly halted—the final touches are expected to be completed by October 2025—it’s finally possible to grasp the restored spatial fluidity of the structure. The removal of partition walls added throughout the 20th century allows visitors to rediscover a new phase in the building’s transformation, one that brings it closer to the original concept envisioned by the four architects behind its design: Henri Deglane, Albert Louvet, Albert Thomas, and Charles Girault.
This renewed openness benefits not only the spatial clarity but also introduces a refreshed dynamism of perspectives, generating unexpected compositional dialogues between the different architectural languages and volumes of the building—from the Palais de la Découverte to the new “place centrale,” now accessible even without a ticket, all the way to the Grand Nef, the palace’s iconic nave. A comprehensive view of the restoration also brings attention to another key perceptual detail: the immersive quality of the new color palette. The interplay of green on the art nouveau columns and staircase with the pink and coral hues of the floors is subtly echoed in the custom furnishings designed by Atelier Senzu, creating a consistent and intelligent visual language.
What we’ve done is built to last for the next hundred years.
François Chatillon
The completion of the works offers a chance to retrace the unique path of a restoration constantly balancing heritage conservation, spatial reinterpretation, and technical upgrades made necessary by the need to consolidate damaged parts of the building and ensure compliance with safety standards for continued exhibition use. François Chatillon, architecte en chef des monuments historiques and lead architect of the Grand Palais project, describes the intervention as a titanic effort, accomplished in a limited timeframe by a team with exceptional expertise.
A project whose extraordinary technical complexity is often invisible to the eye:
“We have returned enormous potential and extraordinary flexibility to the monument,” Chatillon tells Domus. “Today, the Grand Palais can host multiple functions, beginning with the Centre Pompidou’s exhibitions, and in the future it will be able to adapt to any change. The engineering, the structures, the response to climate challenges—everything was designed so the heart of the project remains intact. What we’ve done is built to last for the next hundred years.”
An expertise that will prove crucial for Chatillon Architectes’ next monumental undertaking: the restoration of the Louvre, announced by President Emmanuel Macron and set to begin in autumn 2026.
Opening image: Grand Palais - Nave Entrance, Paris, France, 1897–1900 (for the 1900 World's Fair), restoration by Chatillon Architectes, 2021–2025. © CHARLY BROYEZ FOR CHATILLON ARCHITECTES