Lascaux IV at the European Heritage Days 2025

A celebration of prehistoric art, architecture and movement

Photo by Lars Petter Pettersen

Snøhetta, the Dordogne Departmental Council, and Sémitour-Périgord are delighted to host a special cultural event on 19 September at Lascaux IV – The International Centre of Parietal Art. Held in celebration of the European Heritage Days, this event offers a rare opportunity to step into the immersive world of Lascaux IV and its evocative recreation of the prehistoric cave paintings discovered in the 1940s.

Designed by Snøhetta in collaboration with SRA Architectes and scenographers Casson Mann, Lascaux IV opened in 2016 as a landmark of contemporary architecture and museography. Seamlessly embedded in the landscape of the Vézère Valley in France, the building bridges prehistoric heritage with modern design, offering a powerful reinterpretation of the original cave.

Read more about Lascaux IV

Photo by Lars Petter PettersenPhoto by Lars Petter Pettersen

Program highlights

13:30 – 14:00 | Dance Performance

Experience the world premiere of Hidden, a compelling dance performance by choreographer and dancer Daniel Proietto, inspired by the architecture of Lascaux IV and the myths surrounding the prehistoric art. Featuring principal dancer Yolanda Correa alongside Proietto, the performance is a collaboration between the Norwegian National Ballet, Know Nation and Snøhetta. 

Read more about the dance performance Hidden

14:00 – 15:00 | Round Table & Book Preview

Join a conversation between Snøhetta’s Kjetil Trædal Thorsen and author and curator Frédéric Migayrou exploring the genesis of Lascaux, including a preview of Snøhetta's forthcoming book authored by Migayrou. The discussion will delve into the architectural vision, the building's integration with the landscape, and the recreation of the cave experience—highlighting its impact on our understanding of prehistoric art.

15:00 – 16:30 | Guided Architectural Tours

Take part in guided tours of Lascaux IV and its facsimile, led by members of the Snøhetta team, and gain behind-the-scenes insight into the project's conceptual development, design challenges, and architectural innovations.

16:30 | The event concludes with final reflections and acknowledgments

This event also marks a local celebration of the Norwegian Houen Award—Norway's highest architectural honor—awarded in 2023 to Snøhetta and the Dordogne Departmental Council for their work on Lascaux IV.

Attendance is free, but spaces are limited. Please register in advance to secure your place.

Sign up for the event

Photo of Hidden dance performance by OiOiOi
Photo of Hidden dance performance by OiOiOiPhoto by OiOiOi

Click on photos to download, please credit photographer / Snøhetta. ​

Press contacts at Snøhetta

Camille Henry

Communication Manager, Snøhetta Paris

Line Aandal Røijen

Group Content and Editorial Lead, Snøhetta

 

 

 

 

 

 

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About Snøhetta

For almost 40 years, Snøhetta has designed some of the world’s most notable public and cultural projects. Snøhetta kick-started its career in 1989 with the competition-winning entry for the new library of Alexandria, Egypt. This was later followed by the commission for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet in Oslo, and the National September 11 Memorial Museum Pavilion at the World Trade Center in New York City, among many others. 

Since its inception, the practice has maintained its original transdisciplinary approach, and often integrates a combination of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product design and art across its projects. The collaborative nature between Snøhetta's different disciplines is an essential driving force of the practice.

Today, Snøhetta has a global presence, with studios in seven locations spanning from Oslo to Paris, Innsbruck, New York, Hong Kong, Shenzhen, and Melbourne.

Snøhetta is currently working on a wide range of international projects, including the Shanghai Grand Opera House, the Theodore Roosevelt Presidential Library in Dakota, Harbourside redevelopment in Sydney and La Croisette in Cannes, to name a few. 

Recently completed works include Vertikal Nydalen in Oslo, Beijing City Library, the renovation of Musée national de la Marine in Paris, Orionis - the planetarium and observatory of Douai, Airside in Hong Kong, Esbjerg Maritime Center in Denmark, 550 Madison Garden and Revitalization in New York, as well as Volum lamps for Lodes.

Some of Snøhetta's previous projects include Ordrupgaard Art Museum expansion in Denmark, the Cornell University Executive Education Center and Hotel in New York City, Le Monde Group Headquarters in Paris, including the wayfinding and signage, Europe’s first underwater restaurant, Under, the redesign of the public space in Times Square, the expansion to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Lascaux IV: The International Centre for Cave Art, Powerhouse Brattørkaia and design for Norway’s new banknotes.

Snøhetta’s working method simultaneously explores traditional handicraft and cutting-edge digital technology. At the heart of all Snøhetta’s work lies a commitment to social and environmental sustainability, shaping the built environment and design in the service of humanism. Every project is designed with strong, meaningful concepts in mind – concepts that can translate the ethos of its users and their context.

Among many recognitions, Snøhetta has been awarded the European Union Prize for Contemporary Architecture – Mies van der Rohe Award for the Norwegian National Opera and Ballet, and the Aga Kahn Prize for Architecture for the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. In 2016, Snøhetta was named Wall Street Journal Magazine's Architecture Innovator of the Year, and the practice has been named one of the world’s most innovative companies by Fast Company two years in a row. In 2020, Snøhetta was awarded the National Design Award for Architecture, bestowed by Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. In 2021 and 2022, Snøhetta’s Forite tiles won the Sustainable Design of the Year by Dezeen and Best Domestic Design by Wallpaper* in 2022, and the wayfinding system for Le Monde Group Headquarters was acknowledged with Monocle Design Awards. In 2023, Snøhetta won a number of awards for the Esbjerg Maritime Center and was named Architects of the Year at the Monocle Design Awards, in 2024 included a number of awards to Beijing Library and the BIA 2024 Award to Snøhetta and in 2025, Snøhetta was recognized with the OPAL Special Award for Sustainability, among others. 

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