Founded in 2012, the Institut des Civilisations aims to bring together, coordinate and develop the chairs, teams and specialist libraries housed on the Cardinal-Lemoine site within an interdisciplinary entity. The Institute is organised into four divisions: "Ancient Egypt and the Near East", "Mediterranean and African Worlds", "Asian Worlds" and "Anthropology". This new grouping came about following the complete renovation of the site by the architect Jacques Moussafir.

We have chosen to take a minimalist approach to the signage project, to guide a research audience familiar with the site. Anodised aluminium is used as a material, echoing the suspended slats of the false ceilings and the perforated fronts of the storage bookcases. Some of the anodised slats bend to highlight information.