PARIS: THE HOTEL LAMBERT UNDER THREAT

This bravura piece of Parisian domestic architecture on the point of the Ile Saint- Louis, designed by Le Vau and decorated by Le Brun, is under imminent threat of radical transformation. 
The 17^th century mansion has survived successive changes with its layout and the authenticity of its structure intact.  However, plans which have just been unveiled threaten to subject it to the demands of a modern luxury residence and to transform its exterior into an imaginary, idealised version of the original. The arbitrary slicing-up of the interior apartments involves major demolition, accompanied by a proliferation of disproportionately large shafts intended to accommodate pipework, air-conditioning and elevators. The restricted size of the site means the destruction of floors and cellars which have survived intact.  It is planned to demolish the hanging garden, whose containing wall on the Seine frontage would be opened up to form a garage entrance.
Specialists, practitioners and amateurs all over the world respectfully urge the Minister of Culture and the French Government to intervene in a project which, in its present form, flies in the face of internationally accepted expert opinion and best practice in the field of restoration.