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Olivier Vidal

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Olivier Vidal
Portrait_of_Architect_Olivier_Vidal.jpg
Born(1944-02-18)February 18, 1944
Paris, France
🏳️ NationalityFrench and American
💼 Occupation
Architect
👴 👵 Parent(s)Marguerite Vidal
Robert Vidal

Olivier Vidal; (born February 18, 1944) is a French-born American architect based in Southampton, NY. He founded his own firm in 1969 called SOPHA.

In addition to his own projects, Vidal became known as a master of retail architecture,[1][2] and he liked to work for other lead architects as planner for the retail spaces of multi-use projects.

Biography[edit]

Early life and education[edit]

Olivier Vidal spent his childhood in Paris and Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche. Vidal excelled in art from a young age. He attended Ecole des Beaux Arts but transferred to ETH Zurich.

Career[edit]

After completing his Bachelor of Architecture in 1969, Vidal started a company called SOPHA, offering various design services as well as architecture, a concept that was innovative at the time. They designed packaging for Louis Vuitton, the Turkish luxury textile brand Vakko,[3] coffee makers for the French company Groupe SEB, and various services for other clients.

He has collaborated with major architects on various projects, among them Kenzō Tange, Louis Kahn, I. M. Pei, Charles Moore, and Rafael Moneo. He moved his base from Paris to Los Angeles in 1973, and to New York in 1999. He is an emeritus member of the American Institute of Architects, and has taught structural design and interior design at his alma mater ETH and at UCLA.

Vidal maintains a presence in India, where he has lectured at the Delhi Architecture School[4] and worked with various developers--on malls such as the Crown Interiorz Mall in Faridabad,[5] hotels such as The Lalit in Goa, and housing developments and hospitals in various locations.[6]

Best-Known Designs[edit]

  • Vidal was one of the founding figures of Rodeo Drive in Los Angeles. His Rodeo Collection building transformed the area to the fashion center that it is today.[7][8]
  • In 1992, Vidal won a competition for a dramatic redesign of 50 Avenue Montaigne in Paris,[9][10] which became the offices of The Walt Disney Company for a time.
  • Vidal had some difficulty persuading the authorities that a food court would be a good idea for the Louvre Museum. Under I.M. Pei's famous Louvre Pyramid, he designed the Carrousel du Louvre, which allowed visitors to stay in the museum longer because they could buy refreshments.
  • In the Beirut Souks, although other architects designed shops and buildings in the mall, from 1995 to 2015 Vidal was in charge of the interstitial spaces, the landscaping, signage, and guidelines for all the buildings.[11]
  • Apart from the Souks, he has designed major landscape projects such as France' national highway 4,[12] and an entire waterfront project in Monaco, Fontvieille.[13]
  • From the second house he designed[14], Vidal has been lauded in professional reviews for his apartment renovations[15], houses,[16] and interiors.[17]

Selected Works[edit]

Year Country Project Lead Architect Architect of Record OV Role
1974 Pakistan Bohri Bazaar, Karachi OV Sopha Architects
1972-78 Monaco Fontvieille, Monte Carlo[18] Claude Perben Sopha Architects Design Director
1978-83 USA Rodeo Collection, Los Angeles CA OV Sopha Architects
1982 USA Plaza Las Fuentes, Pasadena CA Charles Moore Retail Planner[19]
1984 India The Lalit, Goa OV Olivier Vidal Architects
1984 USA US Bank Tower, downtown LA I.M. Pei Pei Freed Cobb Retail Planner
1987 USA Westin, Long Beach CA Mas Tokubo Starkman Vidal Christensen
1988 USA Baldwin Hills-Crenshaw Mall, CA Jerry Allmand Starkman Vidal Christensen
1989 China The Peninsula, Beijing KY Cheung Starkman Vidal Christensen
1990 USA La Tour, Los Angeles CA OV Starkman Vidal Christensen
1992 France 50 Av. Montaigne, Paris 8 OV Olivier Vidal Architects
1992-94 France Carrousel du Louvre, Paris I.M. Pei Pei Freed Cobb Retail Planner
1995 US Territory Acanta Center, Guam OV Olivier Vidal Architects
1995-2015 Lebanon Souks, Beirut[11] Multiple architects Olivier Vidal Architects Space Planner, Landscape Arch.
2000 France Concorde La Fayette Hotel, Paris OV Olivier Vidal Architects
2006 India Crown Interiorz Mall, Faridabad OV Olivier Vidal Architects

Gallery[edit]

References[edit]

  1. Chinese Architect, vol 2, 1991, pp. 64-66.
  2. Belle, Sydney, Autumn/Winter 1994, pp. 86-90.
  3. Maison Francaise, Istanbul vol 2, 1997, pp. 160-167.
  4. [1] "Architecture Rendez Vous"
  5. Knight Ridder Tribune Business News; Washington. 03 Apr 2006: p. 1.
  6. Times Journal of Construction and Design, India, September 2005, pp. 43-46.
  7. On View, Los Angeles Times, Part IV, July 19, 1979, pp. 2 and 14. Also "Complicity: A Plus in Architecture" by Evelyn de Wolfe, Los Angeles Times, April 5, 1981, page 39.
  8. Abitare Notable buildings of the year LA, 1978, center fold, Rodeo Collection.
  9. Peter Rice, Le Verre Structurel, Hugh Dutton, 1997 pp. 130-133.
  10. Jose Alvarez, Made In Unibail, Edition du REGARD, Paris, 2004, pp. 30-37.
  11. 11.0 11.1 Solidere's website lists the architects who worked on the Souks.
  12. L’Art et la Ville, pub. La Documentation Francaise, 1978, pp. 108-109.
  13. PROCESS 88 The Mediterranean Resorts, 1990, pp. 76-79.
  14. Yukio Futagawa, GA Houses 3, ADA EDITA, Tokyo, 1977, pp. 124-129.
  15. Caroline Clifton-Mogg, "Inspired by Antiques", Ryland Peters & Small, 1999, pp. 37, 40, 68, 82, 119, 120, 127, 178, 189.
  16. Wooden Houses, Ryland Peters & Small, 1997, pp. 120-141.
  17. Elizabeth Wilhide, The Flooring Book, Ryland Peters & Small, 1997, p. 61.
  18. Description of architectural contest (in French) p. 192 https://journaldemonaco.gouv.mc/content/download/68499/1598184/file/JO_1975_J_6128.pdf
  19. Los Angeles Times, Real Estate Section November 27, 1983, p. 1. by Sam Hall Kaplan

External links[edit]


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