The Musée de l´Homme (Museum of Mankind) is an anthropoligical museum in the southwest wing of the Palais de Chaillot, which was built for the World Expo 1937. Its immediate proximity to the Eiffel Tower places this museum right in the cultural and touristic centre of Paris. A six-year redevelopment project brought a complete renewal of the technical installations and the introduction of a wholly new space concept. From now on, the central atrium leads into multiple interconnected levels with partly new areas for exhibitions, collections as well as research and teaching.
In the course of this redevelopment, Lindner France was responsible for Floorings. This included the installation of ca. 2,850 sqm of FLOOR and more® hollow floors with solid wood parquet coating (natural oak) in the exhibition areas. The decisive factor for this system was its high load bearing capacity, which was required due to numerous exhibits and art installations. In addition to this system, the temporary exhibition area was fitted with 900 sqm of NORTEC raised floors. This type is easily modifiable and optimal for constantly changing exhibitions. As a result, ground installations can be easily moved and connected with the relocated showcases. At the same time, the historic ground structure of the building proved challenging at some places, for example in the form of outstanding beams in the floor void. Furthermore, noise-intensive works could only be carried out during the evening and night hours, since other parts of the museum remained open for visitors while the renovation undertaken. This required particularly precise planning from the project management.
