The French Pavilion at the World Book Fair 2026, held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, has been designed as an immersive and contemporary space celebrating literature, sustainability, and the enduring cultural dialogue between France and India.
Designed by The Design Village (TDV) in collaboration with Studio Archohm, the pavilion marks France’s participation as the Guest of Honor at the fair.
Conceived as a confluence of literature, architecture, and ecology, the pavilion presented works by French authors and publishers while highlighting long-standing Indo-French cultural ties.
France’s participation coincided with President Emmanuel Macron’s visit to India in February 2026 and reflected ongoing cooperation supported by institutions such as the Institut Français en Inde (IFI) and initiatives including the Indo-French Year of Innovation 2026.
Commenting on the project, Mridu Sahai Patnaik, Co-Founder of The Design Village, said the pavilion was envisioned as a living archive through a grand bamboo bookshelf that celebrated the dialogue between French literary traditions and Indian vernacular knowledge systems.
She noted that bamboo was chosen to root the pavilion in the Indian context while honouring a material historically linked to the early history of writing, describing the project as a narrative of shared resilience and sustainable design.
The architectural concept drew inspiration from Notre-Dame Cathedral, France’s most visited monument in 2025 and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. As a symbol of resilience, collective memory, and cultural heritage, Notre-Dame’s literary association with Victor Hugo’s Notre-Dame de Paris informed the pavilion’s storytelling approach and spatial design.
Grégor Trumel, Conseiller de coopération et d’action culturelle at the Embassy of France in India and Director of the Institut français en Inde, said the French Pavilion provided access to the latest French books, particularly children’s literature known for innovative design and illustration. He added that an English section featuring iconic French titles was also introduced this year. He described the pavilion, shaped like Notre-Dame de Paris, as an architectural statement reflecting France’s esteem for books and the values of freedom of expression and circulation of knowledge.
To anchor the structure in the Indian context, bamboo was selected as the primary construction material. Widely used in India’s vernacular architecture, bamboo is a sustainable and renewable resource with historical links to early writing systems and paper-making, reinforcing its relevance to the world of books.
The pavilion also hosted a series of discussions under the theme “Future of Books,” bringing together Indian and French professionals to explore transformations in the publishing landscape. Julia Trouilloud, Cultural Attaché for Books, Debates and Ideas, said the exchanges benefited from the pavilion’s intimate setting, which was conducive to in-depth conversations.