Institut du Monde Arabe

Time Out says

A clever blend of high-tech and Arab influences, this Seine-side grand projet was constructed between 1980 and 1987 to a design by Jean Nouvel. Shuttered windows, inspired by the screens of Moorish palaces, act as camera apertures, contracting or expanding according to the amount of sunlight. A museum covering the history and archaeology of the Islamic Arab world occupies the upper floors: start at the seventh with Classical-era finds and work down via early Islamic dynasties to the present day. Unfortunately, the layout and arrangement are somewhat uninspired - objects in glass cases without much in the way of context. However, the Institut hosts several major, crowd-pleasing exhibitions throughout the year, as well as attracting some of the biggest names in the world of Arab music to perform in it’s plush auditorium, What's more, there's an excellent Middle East bookshop on the ground floor and the views from the roof terrace (to which access is free) are fabulous.

 Jean Nouvel's other landmark Paris buildings include the Musée du Quai Branly and the Fondation Cartier.