The 8th VELUX Daylight Symposium together with the 5th VELUX Healthy Buildings Day will be held at Le Carreau du Temple, a historically significant building in Paris. The land on which Le Carreau du Temple is built originally belonged to the Knights of the Order of Jerusalem. It was granted to them in the 12th century by the King at the time. In the Middle Ages, the Temple and fortress enclosing it became the property of the Order of Hospital, and therefore the home of the Grand Priory of France. In the 17th century, many hotels were built on the site owned by French aristocrats and bourgeoisie.

In the 18th century, the site was seized during the French Revolution and royal family members were imprisoned there until their execution. Following that, Napoleon ordered the demolition of the Temple’s tower. In its place, a covered wooden marketplace, designed by French architect Jacques Molinos, was built. It was divided into four sections, selling different items like garments, linen, carpets, leather and other similar goods.

Due to risk of fire, and as part of a push for urban renewal by Napoleon III and the prefect Haussmann, the building’s wooden structure was replaced by a cast iron and glass structure in 1863, designed by Jules de Mérindol. The new structure provided a magnificent indoor space with lots of natural light and more than 2,000 stalls for merchants. The marketplace became famous and after WWII was also used to sell second-hand clothes. Le Carreau du Temple later became known as a Mecca of Parisian clothing. In the 80’s it was under threat of being demolished for redevelopment into a carpark. Fortunately, some citizens of Paris fought for its preservation and succeeded, so that one out of the original four sections became listed as an historic monument in 1982.

In 2007, Le Carreau du Temple was closed for reconstruction yet again, this time designed by StudioMilou Architecture. In 2014, the unique building reopened as a multipurpose cultural, exhibition and event venue.